High on Darkness
by HighLadyoftheCourtofDreams
Summary: When her family gives her away to pay their taxes, Piper Chapman has to spend the rest of her life at the palace of the feared Queen of Darkness, also known as Alexandra Vause. Trapped in a world in which Piper doesn't belong, she has to learn to survive from the many threats she faces and the Queen herself.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, I came up with this idea some days ago and I just had to write about it. All of you that are reading my other fanfic, don't worry, I'll keep writing it (in fact I'm almost done with the new chapter) but I just wanted to see if you were fond of the idea of a fantasy AU. This story is roughly based on the "A Court of Thrones and Roses" Series by Sarah J Maas.**

Today was the day. I knew we didn't have enough. What I didn't know was what would happen to us when we didn't pay her. I had only heard rumors. Horribly terrifying rumors.

Every year the Queen of Darkness -that's what we common people called her- sent her guards to collect a tax from every family in our kingdom. It was part of the treaty our King had signed when her armies destroyed his, in order to let him keep his lands.

I was helping mother with cooking when they barged in, covered from head to toe in shiny black armor. It was the most terrifying thing I had seen in my eighteen years of life. I must have been shaking, because of my brother, who had been making arrows, placed his hand on my arm.

"Is this Bill's Chapman estate?" One of them asked his voice nothing more than a growl.

I would hardly have called our little cabin an _estate,_ but my father nodded.

"Are you Bill Chapman." The same man asked again.

"Yes." Father said, either being very brave, or great at hiding his terror.

"Do you know how much you owe to her Majesty?"

"Yes."

"What are you waiting for then? Bring us the coins." It was the second man's turn to speak now. And to my disbelief, his voice was harsher than the other one's.

"I c-can't pay you in coins, b-but I'm sure w-we can find something else."

"What do you have to offer?" The first man asked.

Sometimes the queen allowed us to pay our debts by giving her precious things if we didn't have coins. But, we didn't have anything precious left and that meant that father was buying us time.

"Carol, take Piper and go get some strawberries to serve to the gentlemen." Was this an order to run?

My mother grabbed my arm and led me outside towards the three strawberry bushes that were growing near our cabin. "What's going to happen?" I found the courage to ask.

"Nothing." She replied harshly, a tone I had grown to get used to. "Your father will find a solution."

My father had always found a way to save us all those years before. Normally, I shouldn't worry. But, something told me that this year would be the exception to the rule.

When we came into the house, the two guards were gone. "What happened?" I asked, eager to know our future.

"I took care of it." Father said, with the same pain in his eyes as last year. And the years that had come before.

"Father, she-"

"Shut up, Cal." He growled, cutting off my brother.

Cal's behavior made me wonder what thing we were forced to give away to survive. Was it another heirloom that Father had never told us about? Or maybe it was Cal's bow -that would explain his behavior. He loved that thing more than anything. However, I quickly crossed that possibility out. It wasn't worth enough to pay our taxes.

…

The sun had almost set when there was the inevitable knock on our door. The Queen had accepted our offering and her men were here to collect it. I looked around for it but couldn't find anything that wasn't usually there.

My mother opened the door and the same guards walked into our cabin, looking just as terrifying as I had remembered. "We are here to collect what you promised us."

"My offering will take care of the whole tax, right?" My father asked and I knew he was _this_ close to canceling the offer.

"Yes." The man growled. "Have you said your goodbyes?"

 _Goodbyes?_ What item could we love that much that we would want to say goodbye to it? Before I knew what was happening, Cal wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry Pipes." He whispered, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"What's happening?" My voice was shaky from fear. No. No. _No_. It wasn't possible. They wouldn't never…

The guards pushed Cal away from me and they started dragging me out of our cabin, all while my parents just started at me. I was screaming and crying as they led me to a fancy looking carriage.

"Please let me go." I begged, fighting them as best as I could.

"Don't make us hurt you." One of them said in a low voice, making me stop my protests and let them get me into the carriage.

…

The journey was so long I wasn't sure if I had been traveling for hours or days. It didn't help that for some time now the only thing that surrounded us was darkness. But it wasn't one of those types that made you feel calm. No. This one was meant to intimidate.

The carriage finally stopped and one of the men helped me out of it. I was met with a palace, it's walls made out of what seemed like a black, non-transparent glass. It looked gigantic from the outside and was even bigger from the inside. I tried to remember the route we took, but after the seventh turn I gave up. This place was a maze. A maze which's carpet costed more than all of my family's savings. My family… I would never see them again. And all because of this cruel, bitch of a Queen. Why did she need more money? Her palace is evidence that she has more than she will ever need.

We stopped in front of two closed doors. They pushed them open and I was met with a room larger than our entire cabin. A dark blue tapestry covered the walls and I noticed that the window didn't open. Was the Queen afraid I would escape? But then I remembered, the Queen wasn't afraid of anything.

"Where is she?" A woman's voice echoed in the hall, excitement evident in it.

A petite woman entered the room. She had brown short curls, wore no makeup, expect a vibrant red lipstick and her crimson dress left her whole back bare. I hoped I didn't stare too much at her.

"Hello, dear." She said, taking my hands in her surprisingly cold ones. "Are they scaring you?" The woman gestured to the two guards and before I could answer she ordered them to leave the room. "My name is Lorna." She told me sweetly.

"I'm Piper." I managed, my voice croaky.

"Piper… What a nice name." Lorna looked at my dress and gasped. "We can't let you walk around dressed in those rags."

I didn't show that I felt a little insulted from her words. I knew that she didn't mean to hurt me. And to be honest, my clothes did look like rags compared to hers.

The doors opened and a man barged in. "Her Majesty is on her way." He announced and left again.

"What!?" Lorna squeaked. "B-but I have to bathe and dress you first. She can't see you like that."

If she hadn't managed to make me feel self-conscious before, she had certainly succeeded now. "Will she hurt you for not preparing me?" Will she hurt me?

"Oh, no. To be honest, she didn't even ask me to. I just felt like I should make you presentable." Her words made me relax a bit. "When she comes in, you will kneel before her and not rise until she lets you. You will refer to her as her Majesty unless she allows you to use another title. Don't ever talk back to her." With every rule, I felt my heart beat quicken. What if I screwed up?

The doors opened again and she walked in. Her raven hair fell evenly on her shoulders, matching her jet black dress that consisted of some striped covering up her breasts and lady parts. There was no crown on her head but her posture and confidence showed that she was a Queen. That she was _the Queen_. I almost forgot to fall on my knees in front of her.

"Leave us alone, Lorna." She commanded with her husky voice that sent shivers up my spine. "You may rise."

I slowly got up, my eyes making contact with her icy green ones. Just by looking into them, I felt an enticing darkness surround me. I studied her face and I'm pretty sure I couldn't find one flaw.

"What's your name?" She asked, studying me as well.

"Piper Chapman." I said, my voice embarrassingly shaky.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, your Majesty." I told her, chastising myself for forgetting her title the first time.

"Tell me what you know."

I swallowed. I knew few things and all of them were bad. "You are the Queen of this kingdom."

She laughed. Actually _laughed._ "Is that all?" I nodded emphatically. "What about the fact that I suck the souls out of people?" I froze, my heart skipping a beat. "Relax, _Piper_. I'm just kidding."

I don't know exactly why- it may have been because of her voice or because of some small alteration to the pronunciation- but I fell in love with the way she said my name.

"What's _your_ name?" The question slipped from my lips before my mind could stop it. "I'm so sorry, your Majesty I-"

"Alexandra Vause."

" _Alexandra_." I liked the way her name rolled from my tongue. "It's a very pretty name." I admitted.

"Thank you." She told me with a smile so bright it made me forget that she was the Queen of Darkness. "But, I actually prefer being called Alex." I didn't know what to say, so I simply nodded. It wasn't like _I_ was going to be calling her _Alex._ "I should let you relax."

"What will you do with me?" Feeling a strange rush of courage, I brought myself to ask her that.

"I'm not sure just yet." She muttered, running a hand through her hair. And then the realization hit me- I was hers. Hers to play with. Hers to torture. And hers to destroy.

"Well, you surely had an idea when you _bought_ me." I spoke with an anger that was totally justifiable. This woman had treated me like an object.

"I didn't buy you. Your father begged me to take you." Her voice was harsh, all previous friendliness gone. "I did your family a favor."

"Should I be thanking you?" I was now shaking. "I had a life. Not a very nice one, but I liked it."

She arched an eyebrow, her eyes cold. "Did you, now?"

"I had a family a-and a best friend." Tears started streaming down my face as I told her about everything I had lost. About everything she had taken from me. "I was promised to a very nice guy." All gone.

"So, you're saying that I should have turned down your father's offer?" Her voice was terrifyingly calm.

"No." I whispered because I knew what she did to those who didn't pay her. "What do you do with all this money? Do you need it, or do you just like watching people struggle to find enough to give to you?"

"You are right, Piper Chapman. I _love_ watching peasants like you do anything to pay my taxes. And I love torturing them when they fail, even more." I swear I could see something like smoke shape around her. "I'm evil. And you are mine." Her words cut through me like a knife. "And there is nothing you can do about it."

I knew she would hurt me for what I wanted to say and I said it nevertheless. "I'll never be yours, Alex. Yes, you _own_ me. But I'm not yours. I can only be yours by choice and trust me, that will _never_ happen." I closed my eyes, expecting the worst my mind could imagine.

Instead of doing something, she simply said, "Never say never, Piper." When I opened my eyes, she was gone and I was standing in the dark room all alone.

I was scared. I was scared from the unfamiliar surroundings, I was scared of the fact that I was pretty much a prisoner in a gilded cage and I was scared about my future. But what scared me the most, was the fact that I couldn't convince myself that Alexandra Vause was bad. Evil. Wicked. Hell, she had even admitted it herself. But all I could think, was how maybe what she had done was showing mercy to my family.

 **A/N: I hoped you liked the idea and setting. If you want me to continue it, leave a positive review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey everyone. Thanks so much for your support on this story. I will be definitely continuing it, because it's so fun to write. Answering to one of your questions, Piper is 18 and Alex looks around 25 but is centuries old. Enjoy :)**

"Mmm… That's _so_ good."

Red chuckled. "That's what you've said about every thing you've tried." She said, in her foreign accent.

"It's not my fault that everything you cook tastes like haven." I said in between spoonfuls of her delicious mutton stew. For the last three days I have been eating none-stop, devouring whatever I could find in the kitchen.

"Wait till you try my apple pie." Red told me with a smile, patting me in the shoulder. She and Lorna were the only company I had in this miserable place that was now my home. That was the reason why I spent the most part of my time in the kitchen and the other in my room playing dress-up with Lorna.

"I smell mutton stew." A woman whom I had seen a few times, but never talked to, walked in the kitchen.

"You smell right, Nicky. Sit before Piper eats it all."

Nicky laughed and I blushed lightly. She sat to the chair next to me and Red placed a bowl of steaming stew in front of her. I had just finished mine, but seeing it, still made me hungry. It was like in those days I had eaten more than in my whole life.

"You don't look like a skeleton anymore." Nicky commented, her mouth full. "I must admit, you look kinda hot now."

"Nicky!" Red exclaimed, hitting the woman lightly on the head. "Let the poor girl be."

"Sorry, mum." She muttered returning to her food.

"She is your daughter?" I asked, not hiding my disbelief. There were little to none similarities in between the two women. Red, with her bright red hair and foreign characteristics and Nicky, who looked like she was from my kingdom.

"Not biologically, if that's what you mean." Red explained.

" _Magic_?"

Nicky almost choked on her stew as a laugh escaped her lips. "Now I get what Alex is so fascinated with you."

It was my turn to choke. "She told you that?"

"Not directly, but I know that woman more than anybody else on this damned world." She flashed me a toothy smile. "Rarely something sparks interest in her."

I arched an eyebrow. "Really?" Then why hadn't she visited me once in all those days. _Well, maybe because you insulted her to the point where there was no more,_ I reminded myself. After she left, the only thing I could think of was if she would come kill me in my sleep. _Or worse…_ But there was no sign of her. A part of me, that I hated deeply, was disappointed.

"But remember, blondie, that's not always a good thing."

"What do you mean?"

"She might be thinking about you, but her thoughts might be filled with ways to torture you." Nicky explained and I felt my blood turn to ice. Maybe Alex was playing with me all this time.

The kitchen doors opened and Lorna walked in, a huge grin plastered on her face. "Where is my favorite human?" She asked, joyfully making her way to me.

"I thought that was me." Nicky whined with a pout.

"I said _human_ you idiot." She said, placing a chaste kiss on the other woman's cheek.

"So, the myths are true?" I asked, horror taking over my face. "You are not humans?"

Nicky smirked smugly. "Not exactly." Lorna said softly. "But, don't be afraid of us." I nodded, because I wasn't afraid of Lorna. Not even Red, even though she could be terrifying some times. "I'll explain _us_ to you sometime." She promised.

"I need you to stop stealing my girl from me." Nicky said, wrapping her arm around the petite woman possessively.

I bit down a scoff. _Me_ stealing _Lorna_? Not the case. Every afternoon she would drag me to my bedroom where she would make me try different outfits, makeup and hairstyles, trying to find the perfect one for me. Even though I didn't exactly enjoy being treated like a doll, I found comfort in the other woman's company.

"Don't be that jealous, Nicky. Me and Piper are friends, right?"

"Yeah. Nothing to worry about." I reassured her.

"Do you like pipes, as your name implies?" She asked me, causing me to knit my brows together in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you for real?" Nicky laughed loudly and I noticed Lorna muffling one herself.

"She's pure, that one." Red said from the other side of the room, with a laugh of her own.

"Do you like boys or girls?" Nicky asked, slowly this time, as if I was mentally disabled.

"Boys." I said almost too quickly, wanting to reassure my guests that I wasn't sick. My mother had talked to me about a disease called lesbianism, that made girls like other girls. She had said that it was unnatural and wicked. A curse from the Gods.

"Have you ever been with a boy?" Nicky asked, not looking pleased by my answer.

"No…"

"Then how can you be so sure?"

I opened my mouth to explain to her why, but then I realized that I couldn't.

"It's not like it matters." Lorna said, taking one of Red's warm butter cookies, making me crave one too. "I've seen the straightest girls fall for Vause."

…

"Lorna?" I asked after minutes of silence, turning my head around.

"Don't move- you'll ruin my masterpiece." She commanded me and I returned to my first position.

"Sorry." I muttered, sinking down into my seat. She had been making my hair for a while now. It wasn't like anybody would see me, but it made her happy and I hated to take that away from her. "DoesAlexenjoythecompanyofgirls?" I blurted out, part of me hoping that it was too quick for her to hear, even though I wanted an answer.

"Has she told you to call her Alex?" Lorna asked, putting a pin into my golden locks.

"No…"

"Then you'll call her Her Majesty."

"Okay." I said quietly, wondering if I would have to repeat my question.

"But, yes. Alex prefers the company of girls."

Not wanting to comment on the information I got, I asked instead, "Why can you and Nicky call her Alex?"

"Honey, we are very close with her. Especially Nicky." She placed one last pin and then took a few steps back. "All done."

Like I did after every end of our dress-up sessions, I admired myself at the mirror. I was wearing my hair up in a complicated hairdo, however my makeup was subtle and there were no accessories going with this look. My dress was the most extravagant part of my outfit. My abdomen was almost bare, two stripes of fabric going over it, and there was a slit on the right side reaching all the way up above my knee. Lorna told me that its deep purple looked really good on me.

"It is beautiful." I admitted, still staring at the stranger at the other side of the mirror.

"I know!" She exclaimed, going around fixing every tiny flaw she could find.

After thinking about it for a while now, I asked, "Can we go to the gardens for a walk?" When I was left alone at my rooms I spent most of my time looking at those gardens through my window. By some dark magic, the sun was up only for five hours a day. And then came twilight which lasted for around nine to ten hours. After this time had past, darkness covered the palace. Judging from what I saw from my window, we still had a few hours of twilight.

"I don't know if you are allowed to…" Lorna said hesitantly.

"Come on, _please_?" I batted my eyelashes and did my best puppy-eyes. "I'm so bored. All I do all day is talk to you and Red."

Lorna sighed. "I guess you have a point. And I'll be with you, so nothing bad can happen." I was unsure if _I_ would cause something bad or if something bad would happen to _me,_ but I was so happy to get out of the gloomy castle I didn't think much of it.

….

The gardens were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. _That wasn't a person, of course._ Walking through them, I was surrounded by colorful plants of all kinds. Their smells were extraordinary and the shapes out of this world. They were like an oasis in the dark desert that the palace was.

"Oh uh." Lorna said all of a sudden, pulling me closer to her.

I looked around for the possible threat and then I saw her. She was wearing a dark tunic and leather boots, making me guess that she had gone riding. Days had past since we had last spoken and a part of me felt excited that she was coming our way. The other percentage of was afraid of what was going to happen.

"Lorna, Piper." She acknowledged us, nodding her head slightly.

"Your Majesty." I said, bowing elegantly. Lorna just smiled at her.

"Out for a walk?" Alex asked her eyes taking in my appearance, making me feel self-conscious.

"Piper kept telling me about how bored she was and I thought that taking her here would be harmless." Lorna explained, but Alex wasn't looking at her. Her mesmerizing green eyes were glued on mine, staring me in a way that made me feel drawn to her in a way I couldn't quite explain.

"What do you think of our gardens?"

"They are beautiful." I found myself replying mechanically, while all my attention -just like my eyes- was fixated on her.

"Have you told her the story behind them?" She asked, this time turning to Lorna, who shook her head. Turning back to me she said, "You must be wondering how such a pure thing is so close to all of this wickedness. Well, before I came and claimed this palace it belonged to a king who was similar to the one your kingdom has." I wondered if she meant human. "He had created the garden for his wife, as a gift. When I destroyed his castle to build mine, I couldn't bring myself to destroy this." _Alex had built the palace?_ But that thing looked ancient. "I guess I wanted something beautiful to contrast with all the ugliness."

"The palace isn't ugly. _Terrifying,_ certainly, but not ugly." I paused. "I haven't seen one single thing in here that's _ugly._ "

Alex laughed. And it was one of those carefree laughters that made you shine brighter than the sun. "Thank you for your kind words, Piper." Her behavior made me wonder if she had forgiven me for what I had said? Had _I_ forgiven her for what she had taken away from me?

….

Some hours had past since the walk in the gardens and my meeting with Alex. I sat now alone at my bed, staring at the ceiling. Lorna was out with Nicky and Red was too busy working on the kitchen to deal with me. If I didn't found something to do, it would get crazy.

Like an answer to my prayers, the doors opened and a servant who's name I didn't know walked in. "Her Majesty asked for you in her rooms." I shallowed, unsure which was more intimidating; that she had asked for me or that she wanted me in her rooms.

Not having another choice, I followed the boy down the long hallway until we reached two doors that had two guards standing outside of them. "Do I knock?" I asked the boy, not adept with their behavioral customs.

"She asked for you, so no." He explained politely and I thanked him, opening the doors with the help of the guards.

"Y-your Majesty?" I called out, stuttering. Her rooms were ginormous; the combined a bedroom, a living room and a play room. I saw things that I never could have believed that they existed, among them a bed so huge I could get lost trying to get from one side to the other. But Alex was nowhere to be seen.

"In here." She said, her voice distant. It didn't take me much time to realize that it came from a closed door leading to, I presume, the bathroom.

A gasp escaped my lips the moment I entered the room. "I'm so, _so_ sorry." I blurted, trying to force my eyes to look down. Or up. Or _practically_ anywhere but where they were glued on. Alex was in a silver bathtub, her left leg propped up on it's edge and the other parts of her body underwater, covered in soapy-foam.

Alex smiled predatorily, exposing her teeth. "What for?" She husked, running a hand up and down the ivory skin of her leg.

"For walking in on you bathing."

She laughed. "I asked for you. Figured that I could bathe in the meantime." Alex shifted, causing the water to move with her. Her neck was now exposed, alongside with a great part of her sternum, the bubbles starting at the valley of her breasts, covering them.

"Multitasking…" I managed, bitting the inside of my cheek.

A soft chuckle- I amused her. "I heard that you are bored."

"Well, I…" I cleared my throat. " _Yeah_."

"Any thoughts on where you would be useful?"

"I could help in the kitchen." I would definitely not mind spending more time with Red every day.

"There are enough people in the kitchen. More would cause a chaos." She placed her leg inside the water. "Can you help me with my back?"

"Don't you have servants for that?" I asked, taking the soap into my hands and moving behind her.

"I do. But you are here now." She arched her back, so it was more accessible to me. I thanked the Gods that her front was out of view, because now I would certainly be unable to stop staring.

I couldn't argue with her logic, so I started scrubbing her creamy back, softly. "Use your hands." She commanded after there was enough soap on her skin. I obeyed, running my hands up and down her back and then to the side. Once, my hands slippery from the soap, accidentally touched her breasts. I immediately opened my mouth to apologize, but she didn't seem to mind, so I didn't say anything.

"Do _you_ have something in mind for me?" I asked, rubbing her shoulders gently.

"Certainly." She murmured cryptically. A few moments passed until she spoke again. "Have you ever been to a ball?"

"No, but I always dreamed of attending one. Wearing one of those big dresses and dancing all night." I let out a happy sigh and Alex turned her head to me, with a faint smile.

"I'm going to one tonight. It's mainly for political reasons, but I need a date nevertheless. Care to join me?" And just like that I had an invitation to one of my wildest dreams. Handed out to me like it was candy. _Don't take candy from strangers,_ a voice inside my head reminded me but I ignored it. The temptation was too much.

"I would _love_ to." I said, emphasizing on the word love a little over dramatically.

Alex chuckled. "It's settled then. Tell Lorna to have you ready for the ball in a hour."

I nodded and after thanking her, left her rooms with the biggest grin on my face.

…

"You are sure she said _ball_?" Lorna asked for what felt the thousand time.

"Yes." I breathed, frustrated. "Her Majesty is taking me to a ball."

Lorna sighed but I didn't get why. "Stay here. I'll bring you your outfit."

"Don't we have enough dresses here?" I asked, pointing at the closet Lorna had filled to the maximum.

"There is a specific outfit for going to a ball with Alex." She explained, leaving the room.

I looked myself at the mirror. The makeup was vibrant, bringing out the blue color of my eyes. My hair was settled in a high ponytail, a headpiece made out of iron and little sapphires sat on top of my head proudly.

I didn't notice Lorna's return, until she threw my clothes on my bed. "Try them on."

…

"Are you sure there are no more parts?" I asked, twirling in front of the mirror. That was definitely not the dress I had dreamt of. It wasn't even a dress.

"Positive."

I knew that they liked showing skin, but this was too much. My outfit consisted of a black bra that was embroidered with sapphires and an iron belt that had two pieces of dark blue silk hanging in front and back, barely hiding my lady parts. In conclusion, my clothes exposed more parts than they covered.

After another glance in the mirror, I asked the inevitable question. "What exactly will I be doing?"

Lorna sighed again and said, "Good luck, kid."

 **A/N: I hope that got you excited for more. Remember guys, Reviews are key! Thanks again for being so supportive and awesome.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'd like to thank thisbipath, AndreaFg, carsonfan, IloveSweden, The Talent and vauseisgoddess for their kind words. Of course, big thanks go to all the anonymous reviewers as well. Thanks so much for the support. You guys are amazing.**

 **A guest asked me if I had Tumblr and the answer is no, but I could make one about my story (stories). Would you be interested in that? I could answer questions and give sneak peaks of upcoming chapters. Let me know by writing a review.**

"You look gorgeous." Alex said as I took her hand and let her lead me to the carriage, all while trying to walk subtly so the silks that covered my parts, didn't move too much.

"Thank you. But allow me to say that _you,_ your Majesty, look breathtaking." Her black tight dress, pushed her breasts in all the right ways and her toned legs, visible through the slips, were a sight of their own. _If looks could kill…_

"That's awfully kind of you, Piper." She told me with a smile, helping me into the carriage.

"May I ask what I'll be doing?" I asked her some time after the carriage had started.

"You'll be my date." Alex said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "You'll do as I say and

you won't ask too many questions."

I nodded, trying to control my fear and not let it overwhelm me.

…

We walked in the big hall and it was the most extravagant thing I had seen. It was like I had imagined it to be; just a bit darker. Lords and Ladies were all over the place dressed in outfits that must have cost a fortune- however, I was the only one wearing such a revealing outfit.

Alex immediately joined the company of three Lords, who drank a lot and laughed loudly. She sat down and gestured me to sit on her lap. While she talked, her hands roamed all over my body, stroking my bare thighs, my abdomen and even brushing over my breasts sometimes. I didn't want to admit how good I felt. "Will you go get me some champagne, dear?"

"Of course, your Majesty." I told her, getting up and moving to the buffet. I hadn't seen more food gathered in the same place in my life. I didn't know more than half of those things, but the champagne was fairly easy to find. "Here you are." I said politely, giving Alex the glass and then sitting on her lap again.

"Thanks." She said and kissed my neck, gently nibbling with the skin, while her hands found their way back to my thighs. It was then when I finally understood that I was her plaything. _You won't ask many questions,_ she had said to me. The part of me that thought that I would really be her date felt stupid.

"What do you think Tybaut will do?" One of the lords asked her, making her sigh.

"I'm not sure. But I don't think that it will be pretty." With that, Alex got her hand under the silk that covered my front, making every muscle in my body tense as she rested it on my lady parts. "He is mad and ambitious, a very scary combination." She said, running her finger up my folds making me moan at the strange, but pleasant feeling.

I only understood how loud I was, when I saw that every lord's _and_ Alex's eyes were fixated on me. With a wicked smirk she told them, "Well, someone is very eager tonight. You'll have to excuse me." We got up and she wrapped a hand around my waist. "Let's go." Alex whispered into my ear, biting my earlobe.

She took my hand and we started walking through the halls, even though after some time it felt like running. Alex finally stopped in front of two big doors, similar to her bedroom's but not as elegant. She pushed them open and we hurried in. "I normally don't do this." She told me, pushing me onto the bed. "But, Piper, you are _drenched_." Like an animal, she hopped onto the bed herself and approached me.

"What do you mean?"

Alex laughed, pushing the silk aside. "I've never seen someone as wet as you are right now." She opened my legs and then leaned towards my lady parts, bringing her face dangerously close.

"Why am I wet?" I asked, moaning at the feeling of her hot breath against me. _Why did it feel good?_

She looked up, her eyes turning from playful to serious. "Piper, what do you know about sex?" She asked and I was unsure why she brought that up now.

"When a husband and a wife want to have children they lie together." I told her, reciting just what my mother had told me not long ago.

"And…?"

"The husband will know what to do."

"That's all you know?"

"Pretty much."

She sighed and closed my legs, covering me with the silk again. "Remind me when we get back at my palace to have you educated about that."

"Wait- where are you going?" I didn't want her to leave and without thinking caught her hand.

Instead of jerking it away, Alex smiled. "I have to get some business done. You stay here. Don't open the door to anyone." She commanded me and I nodded to show I understood her. Then, as if she was smoke, she vanished.

I didn't know how to get time to pass more quickly, so I just lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. There were two huge bookcases in the room, but I didn't know how to read, so they were useless to me. I closed my eyes and waited.

….

"I'm back." The familiar husky voice said, making me open my eyes.

"Did everything go alright?"

"It's kind of complicated, but thanks for asking." She told me with a bitter smile, taking my hand. "Let's get back, shall we?"

The ride with the carriage was silent, but not awkward. I spent a major part of it looking at the starry night, which looked beautiful. Even better than it did at my house and I wondered if it was because of magic.

"You like the sky?" Alex asked me.

"Very much. It's so _majestic._ " I told her, turning to look at her.

"I'm glad you like something here."

I scoffed. "I thought we had gotten over that- I like _many_ _things_ here."

With one of her signature smirks, she asked, "Care to give any examples?"

I knew where she was taking it and I smiled. "The gardens are beautiful," she nodded, "Red and Lorna are very nice to me- Nicky too."

"That's all?" Alex asked with a seductive voice, but I could sense the hint of insecurity underneath it.

"You are not _that_ bad, I guess…" I said with a sigh, fighting to hide my smile when she gasped in shock.

"Not that bad? I'm honored, Piper Chapman."

"Oh come on, you know exactly the effect you have on people."

She leaned forward, invading my personal space. "What about the effect I have on you?"

"I'm pretty sure you are very aware of that, too." I said, and to my good luck, the carriage stopped, indicating that our ride was over. _She wouldn't be able to further this conversation. Not now at least._ "Goodnight, your Majesty." I told her, stepping out of the carriage and almost running into the palace.

…

Two servants had helped me bathe and change to a nightgown, but Lorna was nowhere to be seen. When I asked them about her whereabouts they said that they didn't know much, but she would probably be gone for tonight.

I was met with two choices- I could either go to bed super early _or,_ I could go to Alex. She hadn't called for me, so I didn't know if I was even allowed, but that didn't stop my feet from moving on their own and bringing me in front of her bedroom doors.

"C-can I go in?" I asked the guards, my voice shaky. _What the hell was I doing?_

"Her Majesty didn't ask for you. In fact, she asked to not be bothered for tonight."

"Could you maybe ask her?" I tried again, biting my lip.

They didn't answer and I turned to walk away when the doors opened from the inside. "Come in." Alex said and the guards stepped aside as I walked in the room. She was wearing a night gown as well, though hers was way more revealing. "To what do I owe the visit?"

I shrugged, not knowing the answer myself. "I was lonely." _I missed you._

Alex smiled. "And you thought, the queen of darkness will keep my company in the middle of the night." Her tone was playful.

"No… I thought _Alex_ would."

"And what can _Alex_ do for you?" She asked me, sitting on her bed.

"Talk to me?" I asked, unsure.

"Sure." Alex patted the bed next to her. "Get comfortable." I followed her advice and laid on the bed next to her. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Tell me about your relationship with Nicky." Lorna had said they were _very_ close.

"I met Nicky almost a century ago-" I gasped and she laughed. _Was she that old?_ "-she was the daughter of King Gifford, who was long dead by the time we met. She was _cursed_ , or _gifted,_ whichever you prefer, just like me. We became instant friends- she was the reason I was ambitious enough to create _this._ After some years, we tried to turn our relationship into something sexual, but we decided that being best friends was better." Alex paused and looked down. "Nicky was the first person I met that was like me. _She made me feel like I wasn't the monster I had always felt like._ "

I felt my heart break into a million pieces for Alex. I had been ordinary all my life. A poor village girl just like most girls around me. It must have been very hard to be an outcast, to be considered a monster, an abomination for all your life. "You are not a monster, Alex. You are _special_." I told her believing ever word that came out of my mouth.

She smiled and I could see the tears that formed in her eyes. "Thank you, Piper. That means so much to me." Alex blinked a few times and the tears were gone, but I could still feel the pain that she had been through all of those years. Changing the tone of her voice into something more casual she said, "If I were you, I would take my hand away now."

Only then I noticed that my hand had moved on its own and had rested on her bare thigh. "Sorry." I apologized, quickly pulling it away.

Alex smirked. "It's not that I don't want it there. It's that you wouldn't be able to handle the consequences if you kept stroking my thigh like that." I looked at her, my eyes showing my confusion and that made her laugh. I didn't care if she was making fun of me because her laughs had become my favorite kind of music. "Gods, I forgot that you are oblivious to sex."

"It's not my fault that nobody taught me." I whined. "Which reminds me that you promised to educate me."

"I said I would have _someone_ educate you. I'm not having _the talk_ with you, Piper."

"Why not?"

"Because…" It was the first time I had witnessed her struggling to find the right words. " _Because._ "

"Is the great Alex Vause scared?" I teased her, uncertain if I was taking it too far.

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Ask away."

A million questions raced through my head, making it hard to choose one. "Why was I wet?" It was one of the those that troubled me the most.

"Because you wanted me." Alex said with the most seductive eyes I had ever seen.

"To…?"

She burst out laughing. "Dear god, Piper." She shook her head while continued laughing. "You wanted me to fuck you."

Not wanting to talk about the fact that my body wanted Alex in that way, I said, "B-but you can't. You don't have a penis, do you?"

Alex leaned forward as if to tell me a secret. "I don't need a penis to make you scream."

"No, you could easily do that with a sword." I joked making her laugh again.

"I can have sex with you using my fingers-" She held them up, wiggling them slightly, "-or _tongue._ " With that, she trusted her tongue inside the V her finger had shaped, making me involuntarily shudder.

"But we can't reproduce." I pointed out. _That may be the only thing I was certain about._

Alex shook her head. "No, we can't."

"Then why would we be having sex?" All of her answers led to this question. Because it truly didn't make any sense.

"What?" Her brows knitted together in confusion.

"If it hurts for women, why would we do it if not to reproduce?"

"Piper-" Alex caught my hand and our eyes locked. "-sex doesn't hurt. It feels awesome." She softly stroked my palm making me smile at the contact. "Don't you remember how you felt at the ball?"

"That was sex?" I asked shyly.

"I was touching your lady parts. What do you think I was doing?" She asked me with a grin she was trying to hide.

"I thought sex was penetration." _Another wrong piece of information by my mother._

"Sex is so many other wonderful things." She told me, eyes never moving from each other. "But penetration does play a major part in it."

"And doesn't that hurt?" I always thought sex was a responsibility, something I _had_ to do for my husband, but Alex made it seem like the greatest thing in this world.

"Okay, penetration _may_ hurt _a little_ the first time but after that it's painless. If it's done correctly, of course." She brought my hand up and kissed it. "And I _always_ do it correctly." I chuckled. "That was not meant to be funny." Alex was trying very hard to keep her serious face on and keep herself from bursting out laughing.

"No?" I asked innocently. "I just heard a few complaints from girls around the palace and thought-" Before I could finish my sentence, Alex had me pinned down on the bed. "Tell the girls that complained to come here tomorrow night."

I could sense she was joking, but still, I asked, "Will you hurt them?"

"Nope, I'll just fuck them so good that you will be able to hear them moan from your room." My breath hitched at her words- _my room was at the end of the hallway and trust me, that was a very long way._

"What will you do to me for spreading false rumors?"

Alex smirked, downing her face inches above mine. "What do you want me to do?"

"Whatever you seem fit." I knew I was swimming in dangerous waters, but this game we were playing was simply so much fun.

"You seem tired." She said, changing the subject.

"Is that a polite way of telling me to get the hell out of your room?"

"No. It's a polite way of telling you that you can barely keep your eyelids open." Alex let go of my hands and rolled to my side.

"That's not true." I protested, even though she was kind of right- I felt exhausted. _I didn't want to stop talking to her._

"You can go to sleep, Piper. I'll be here tomorrow. And the day after that." She said reassuringly as if she read my thoughts.

"I'm not holding off sleep because of you." I lied.

"Whatever you say, dear."

We were lying extremely close to each other, to a point where our shoulders touched and I could feel every breath she took. Without putting much thought into it, I leaned a little bit closer to her and then closed my eyes.

 **A/N: I hoped you enjoyed this. The sex talk had to happen for them to get involved in the future since Piper knew nothing. Leave your thoughts and suggestions in the review section. Your feedback means the world to me.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'd like to thank you for the incredible amount of support you show to this story. All of you that took some time to write a review are so awesome and partly the reason I'm writing this. I thought that you guys deserved an earlier than usual update. (This is more of a story building chapter, so interesting stuff can start happening)**

 **guest: Your "lame" joke (You know nothing Piper Chapman) made laugh but also gave me an idea. What do you about Vauseman skinny dipping in a later chapter? Also, I'm glad you are enjoying this story.**

 **i'llstayawake: Thanks so much for your kind words. Don't worry though, I will update to both stories regular *pinkie-swear*. I'm going through my second year as a law student.**

 **Guest: I'm sorry that you feel that way. Since the show is about real life and this is fantasy you may believe it is meant as a parody, but I assure you it's not. It takes some time to build a believable fantasy world.**

 _I was lying on her bed, her slick sheets covering my naked body. She came in from the bathroom, wearing the exact outfit I wore to the ball- It looked so much better on her. Her raven hair fell evenly on her shoulders and her emerald green eyes glowed in the torch light. She walked slowly and seductively towards the bed, never breaking eye contact._

 _Alex started swaying her hips to a melody I couldn't hear. Her hands roamed all over her gorgeous body and I wished that those hands were mine. I let her dance for a while until her breathing became heavier and my need to touch her became unbearable._

 _"Come here." A voice I didn't recognize ordered._

 _With bedroom eyes and a wicked smirked she obeyed, climbing onto the bed and making her way to me. The first thing I did, was letting my fingers run down on her bare abdomen. Leaving a hand holding her waist, I moved the other one to her neck, pulling her face closer to mine. Out lips were so so close but I hesitated._

 _"Go ahead." She murmured. "Do it." It came out as a breathy plea, compelling me to kiss her. Just a few inches of air separated us and then I-_

I woke up breathing heavily and covered in sweat. I was in my bed and was wearing my nightgown. It was all a dream, I realized. And Alex wasn't by my side. _Just as expected._

I made my way to my personal bathroom and washed my face with the freezing cold water that had remained in the bucket from my bath. I looked at the mirror and suddenly hated my sight. Not only had I started hanging out with the Queen of Darkness, but I now have dreams about her? And _naughty_ dreams too. _What had become of me?_

I looked out of my window and I realized how early it was. However, I couldn't go to sleep. I couldn't stay here left alone with my thoughts, as well. So, after wrapping a silk robe around me, I made my way to the kitchen.

…..

"Hey, Red." I muttered, my voice still croaky from sleeping.

"Piper." The moment she saw me, she left everything she was doing and came at my side. "I heard from Lorna that Alex took you to the ball. Is that true?"

"Yeah." I said simply, bitting into a sugar cookie.

The color drained from her face. "Are you alright?" Red asked slowly.

"I'm fine." I told her, taking another bite of the delicious cookie. _All things considered._

"Did she touch you?" She asked me, placing her hand on my shoulder. "You can talk to me, Piper. Don't be afraid."

"Of course she did. I was posing as her date."

Red sighed and Nicky walked in. "You think too low of Vause, mum." She said, but Red ignored her.

"Did she hurt you?" She finally asked the question she was meaning to ask from the beginning.

Emotionally, she had. I thought last night meant something, but her taking me into my room while I was and then disappearing showed otherwise. But not the way, Red meant. "No." I answered finishing my cookie.

"Did you engage in any… _activities?_ " Red tried again and I found it very sweet that she cared about my well-being. But it wasn't like she could have done anything if Alex had violated me. _Not that I thought she ever would._

"We didn't have sex." I said silently, wanting to put an end in this conversation.

Nicky laughed loudly and Red, relived, returned to her cooking. "I thought you were _pure_ and all." She rolled her eyes at the word pure.

"I was enlightened." Before she could ask any more questions, I said, "I didn't take you for the morning type."

"Oh, I didn't sleep at all." My shock made her smirk. "You know, while you play Cinderella and go to balls, ordinary people like me have to be kept entertained."

I scoffed. " _You_ are hardly ordinary." I took another cookie from the jar. "Was Lorna with you?"

"Yes. In fact, she is sleeping right now. Restoring energy and all." Nicky winked at the end and I didn't have to think hard to imagine what had consumed her energy.

"Can I ask you something, Nicky?" I asked, hoping I wouldn't regret it.

"Sure, kid. Go ahead."

"What's your power?" It was a question I had been meaning to ask for a long time, just didn't know if it was a topic she liked talking about.

Nicky slowly turned her head towards me. I was scared until she grinned, baring her teeth. "You wanna see?" She asked almost too eagerly.

I nodded my head furiously.

"Come." She took my hand and before I knew it I was being dragged out of the kitchen.

"Just be nice." Red shouted and Nicky murmured a _yeah sure_ back at her.

After we were out of the kitchen, she let go of my hand and started running. She was quick- _too quick-_ and I wondered if that was her gift. Chasing after her, I ended up in the gardens, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Nicky!" I called out. _No answer._

All of a sudden I felt something wet pressed against my back. I let out a loud scream when I saw a _huge_ wolf standing behind me. It had golden fur and two big chocolate brown eyes. It looked equally scary and majestic. "Easy, now." I muttered as if the animal could listen to me and took some slow steps back.

The wolf barked something that sounded awfully like laughter and then… _All the pieces connected and I could finally see the greater picture._ "Nicky, you asshole!" I exclaimed, my body relaxing. Right in front of my eyes, the wolf's figure changed and it was now a human once again. "You can transform." I stated out the obvious. "That's so cool."

Nicky smiled bitterly. "My family used other words to describe it."

Instinctively, I touched her arm. "I really liked it." I flashed her a bright smile. "I really like you."

She laughed. "Careful with that, because if Alex hears it, she'll skin me alive and gift you my fur as a coat." It was only half a joke.

"Well, Alex shouldn't have a say in who I like. _Or in what way I like them_." I said almost too coldly.

"What's wrong kid? Trouble in paradise?"

"We were never in paradise to begin with." I shrugged, pretending that I didn't care. "I don't really feel like talking about it."

"Okay, what do you want to do then?" She asked, taking my arm.

I looked at the sky. The dawn was cracking, meaning we would have around two hours of sunlight. "I wanted to stay here until it's twilight again." _I've missed the sun._

"I have to warn you, kid. I'm not the kind of woman that takes walks in gardens. My mother really tried to turn me into that, but she failed just like everyone that ever tried."

"Good. I don't want to walk." I wanted something to put my energy in. Something to make me forget about Alex. "Tag you're it." I touched her arm and started running.

"Did you literally challenge someone who's half-wolf to a running competition?" I hear Nicky shout but couldn't see her anywhere. I was about to make a right turn when she appeared in front of me.

"Caught ya." She told me with a wicked smirk, but before she could actually catch me, a started running to the opposite direction. I was doing so well and then my foot hit a rock and before I knew what was happing I crashed onto the ground. I heard my scream before I felt the first wave of pain.

"Shit, Piper." Nicky rushed to my side, helping me up. "Are you hurt?"

Tears were streaming down my face from the pain in my leg. "Yes." I managed, feeling brave enough to look down at my injury. There was a big, deep cut on my bare leg along with some minor scratches.

"Can you walk?" Nicky asked, inspecting my leg herself. After I shook my head she said, "Hold on tight." Before I could ask what she meant she was in her wolf-form again, lowering her body so I could mount her.

….

Nicky was running in the palace, ascending stairs and taking turns until we reached the door that was Lorna's bedroom. _What the hell were we doing at Lorna's bedroom?_ She pawed at the door until the petite woman finally opened it. "Jesus Christ, Nicky!" She exclaimed, taking a step back. Her eyes fell on me and then my leg, which was covered in blood by now.

"What did you do?" She asked while the two women helped me on the bed.

"We were playing Tag you're it." I said weakly, feeling kind of squeamish by the sight of my own blood. "And then I fell."

"I can see that." Lorna carefully placed a pillow under my leg. "Nicky-"

"On it!" Before I could blink twice, Nicky was back with a wet cloth. She gave it to Lorna, who started cleaning up my wound, making me winch in pain every now and then.

"Do I need to get stitches?"

The petite woman shook her head. "This might just feel a little weird." She warned me before hovering her hand above my cut. All of a sudden, my leg was on fire- I didn't feel pain, but it couldn't be described as pleasant, either. "All done."

I looked at my leg and it was like I had never fallen- no scratches, no cut. _Healing._ That was Lorna's gift. "Thanks." I forced out a polite smile, still in shock.

"Now be honest, kid." Nicky said, "Which gift is cooler?"

I found myself laughing despite the situation. "Yours is definitely cooler, but Lorna's is more useful."\

" _Pfft._ Who carried you here?"

I rolled my eyes as I hopped off the bed, feeling no pain at all. "My hero." I told her, pulling her into a hug. Nicky smirked proudly and Lorna punched her in the arm. "What's Alex's gift?" I found myself asking in the casualness of things.

Nicky opened her mouth to say something, but Lorna was faster. "I believe she should be the one to tell you." Nicky nodded in agreement. _So much for the easy way._

"Fine." I pouted, wanting to show them my disappointment.

 _Speak of the devil and he -in my case she- will appear._ Just like that, Alex Vause walked in the room, wearing a casual dress that like usual, didn't cover much. _Not that I minded._ "What happened here?" She asked with her husky voice, that I could listen to for hours.

"Nothing." Lorna and Nicky said in unison.

Alex arched her eyebrow and turned her eyes on me, silently repeating her question.

I sighed deeply and answered. "I was playing with Nicky in the garden and then I fell. Lorna healed me." She blinked a few times, registering the information she got. "Am I in trouble?" She subtly shook her head. "Are Nicky and Lorna in trouble?"

"They should be, but I'm feeling kind today." Alex extended her hand for me. "That doesn't mean that you won't be lectured."

"For what? Damaging your _property_?" I asked, my tone harsh and cold. _We would never be something._ Lorna bit her lip and Nicky took a breath but none of them said anything. They knew better than that. Alex looked like she would kill someone for making the wrong comment.

"Leave us alone." She growled. The two women didn't have to be told twice. In a matter of seconds, me and Alex were left alone in the room. I could almost _feel_ the tension between us. "I thought you had gotten past that." It was nothing more than a whisper.

"I'll never get past you stealing away my life." I told her coldly. "It's not like I'll have a life here that will substitute what was taken away from me."

"Who says that you can't have a life here? You have Lorna and Nicky and Red." Alex took my hand in her palms and gave it a light squeeze. "You have _me._ "

"Why do you do that?" I asked, jerking my hand away while fighting back the tears.

"Do what?"

"Make me believe that you care." Every word was coated in pain. When she didn't answer I added, "You lied."

"About what?" Alex asked, but I knew that she knew exactly about what I was talking about. With a sigh she said, "I'm here, aren't I?"

"Why did you move me to my bedroom?" I asked her, hoping my voice didn't crack too much.

"I sleep alone. That's how it has been for centuries now." She said flatly and I fought the urge to scoff. "Are you mad about that?"

"No." I said and meant it. I wasn't _mad._ I was _disappointed._ _Hurt,_ even. But not mad.

"Lorna showed you her _power._ " I sensed that she carefully picked that word.

"Nicky did too." A faint smiled tugged on my lips at the image of the playful wolf that was actually Nicky.

Alex sighed, running a hand through her raven colored hair. "You must be wondering about mine."

"I am."

"Don't you care about the story behind all it, first?" She asked me and I nodded, urging her to continue. "It started many years ago. Some say that the Gods chose to gift certain humans with certain abilities, whereas others believe it was actually a curse. The second belief is most common because people can understand it better. We activate the darkness in us and power explodes."

"What do you mean _activate_?"

"Some people have a certain power inside them, but in order to access it, they must accept the darkness in them. And that's a very hard thing to do." I wondered what Alex had done to _activate_ her power.

"So…"

"So, with every dark thing you do you power becomes stronger." _That was simple enough._

"But why darkness? Not all powers are dark. Lorna's power is used for saving people, not harming them."

"That's the thing. Each power can be used for bad and good. The user is the one to choose their path. Some believe that the fact we must do dark things is a challenge to prove that even after all the bad there can still be good in people." Before I could ask, she answered my question, "Lorna can _harm_ and _heal_ people telepathically. Nicky can use her wolf-form to _help_ but also _destroy_. And I…"

"And you? What is your _gift,_ Alex?" I choose the word gift to show that I was okay with her power. That it wouldn't scare me off.

"I could tell you, but that would ruin my mystery wouldn't it?" She said with her stupid grin that I loved so much.

"Ah, we couldn't risk destroying the great mystery of Alex Vause, could we?"

Alex laughed. "Remind me when I told you that you could call me, _Alex?_ "

"You never told me not to." I pointed out.

"Touché." She looked at her hands, suddenly interested in the back ring she wore, before blurting out her next sentence. "There's a ball tonight. You could come."

"You make it sound like a casual invite."

"Well, I thought that you could put your knowledge to use." Alex shrugged trying to show that she was indifferent.

"You would really like that, wouldn't you?" I asked with a huge smirk. _I just couldn't be angry at her. She somehow always managed to win me back._

"More than anything, kid." She murmured and I had a feeling she meant it.

"Alex…"

"Yeah?"

"I'd like to thank you for not taking advantage of me." My voice was shaky. "You could have done many things that would have made you _happy,_ but you didn't."

Her green eyes were focused on my blue ones as she said seriously, " _Raping_ you, will never make me _happy._ "

"Then why do you want me at the ball?" I asked her. "Since I'm clearly not ready yet and you are not interested in forcing me."

She smiled faintly. "I told you before- I never have sex with my _date._ It's just a facade."

"But you were going to have with me." I said softly, an arrogant part of mine thinking that it made me special.

"You really needed me, Piper. Or at least your body did." Alex didn't bother hiding her smirk.

I felt my face turn crimson red. I didn't like talking about that night. "Shut up."

"You don't have to be ashamed of it."

"Yeah, right." I said sarcastically. "If you were _that_ wet for me, wouldn't you be _a little_ ashamed."

With a devilish smirk she replied, "And who says I'm not wet?" If my face wasn't a bright red already, now it certainly became. "If only you knew what kind of things you did to me at the ball…"

"You were the one that was touching me." I protested.

"My hands all over your body had quite the effect for me, Piper." Alex closed her eyes for a second, before speaking again. "I was so close to tasting your delicious wetness, _that your lust for me had created,_ but I had to stop. And that made me crazy." A smirk formed on her full lips. "But I guess your body was left aching for me as well. _Maybe even more._ "

"Shut up." Was the only thing I could think to tell to her.

Alex _tsked._ "Such a dirty mouth of yours."

I rolled my eyes at her comment, trying to stop thinking about all the places I wanted to put that mouth on and about what Alex Vause might taste like.

 **A/N: I hope that this chapter was enjoyable. Oblivion update is coming sometime this week. It would mean so much to me, If you could leave a review or even follow/favorite.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks so much for all the amazing reviews for the last chapter. I'm so glad you are enjoying this, even though it's something different than normal. I hope it stays this way :)**

The ball was even more extravagant than the last one- bigger hall, more servants and sparklier dresses, paired with priceless pieces of jewelry. This time, my outfit was less revealing, but just as sensual. Purple silks were falling evenly around my body, showing just enough skin to be considered tempting.

Just as last time, I spent a major part of my time sitting on Alex's lap, listening to her as she laughed and talked to the other lords, whom judging by the way they looked at her, weren't half as powerful.

"Are you bored?" She whispered into my ear, her lips brushing against my cheek.

"With you?" I asked, my eyes falling onto her full lips. "Never."

She allowed herself a faint smile before saying, "Charming." Alex patted my thigh softly, indicating that she wanted me to get up. "Let's dance."

The first dance was fast paced and dancing it with Alex felt like I was flying each time we swirled. She had the grace of an angel and the looks of a demon. _A very dangerous combination._ By the time the dance was over, I was breathing heavily and I had a stupid grin on my lips. "That was fun."

"Oh darling, we haven't even started yet." She purred into my ear, placing two hands on my hip bones and bring me so close to her that I couldn't breath properly. The song changed into a slow one and I wondered if Alex had something to do with it.

"Start moving your hips like _this._ " She commanded, her hands moving my hips in a rather provocative way. It wasn't hard to do, so I quickly got the hang of it. "Good." Alex murmured pleased into my ear. "Now act like I'm the centre of everything. Every move you make must have something to do with me."

Never stopping the movement of my hips, I started running my hands over her body, letting them linger longer than they had to when they came close to her breasts, without fully touching them. As if my hands had a mind of their own, one stayed at Alex's hip while the other travelled all the way up to her neck.

Our faces were incredibly close and I could feel her warmth breath against my lips. I tiny voice in my head shouted _kiss her,_ but I knew better than that. Instead, I arched my neck, inviting her to pepper it with kisses, like she did when we sat with the lords.

Alex brought her lips closer to my neck, brushing them against it, as if she was testing the waters before completely diving in. It didn't take long for her to start placing wet kisses on the length on my neck and I had to pull on every inch of self control I had buried in me to not let out a moan. However, the inevitable happened when she bit on the soft skin and then sucked it in her mouth. The mix of pain and pleasure felt incredible.

She smirked and I knew that it was going to leave a mark, but honestly I didn't care. _Hell, I even felt a little bit proud that Alex Vause had marked me._ "Let's go take care of you." She husked sexily, taking my hand to lead me to a room.

 _All of this was a performance._ I knew it, I did. But a part of me, that I hated deeply, felt like somehow Alex enjoyed it just like I did. That when she touched and kissed me, it had a deeper meaning than just a cover for what she did after she left me alone in the bedroom.

"Stay in the room until I return." Alex told me when we were in some lord's bedroom.

"Can't I at least get out on the balcony?" I asked.

"Piper, I am supposed to be rocking your world. I people see you on the balcony, they will get suspicious." She explained to me calmly.

"But you are not. And I get _so_ bored." I whined.

"Read something." Alex said, her eyes falling on the many bookcases, filled with books. By the way she looked at them, I could tell that she was a book lover.

"I can't read." I whispered so low, that I was surprised she heard me.

"Don't be ashamed about it." She said so softly, as if I was fragile and a harsher tone would break me. "It's not your fault that nobody taught you." Her emerald eyes were looking into mine, in a way that made me feel as if she could look straight into my soul. "I could teach you, if you wanted."

"I would love to." Learning to read was something I had always wanted, but being a villager's daughter made it very hard.

Alex smiled brightly and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but then thought again. I looked as she carefully exited the room, making sure that nobody was watching, and shut the door behind her.

….

I didn't know exactly how much time Alex was gone, but it felt like a lifetime. Unlike last time, she told me to return to the ballroom and wait for her to take care of one last thing. So, I did the only thing I could have done- I obeyed her.

I decided to take advantage of my free time and try whatever the buffet had to offer. While I was filling my plate, I felt the presence of someone behind him. "You are Alexandra Vause's consort, aren't you?" A lord, whom I'd seen talking to Alex, said.

"Yes." I told him, trying to stay as calm as I could. There was something in the way he looked at me that made me feel threatened and uncomfortable.

"Since you are done with her for tonight, how about you come service me?" He flashed me a smile, showing his teeth. "I pay well."

"I'm terribly sorry, but I'm done for tonight." I continued playing my role, thinking that if I acted polite and business like, he would let me go. _Boy, I was wrong._

He laughed loudly, as if I had said something funny. "I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear enough." His face turned dead serious. " _I wasn't asking_."

I felt panic overwhelm me when he grabbed my hand. "Let me go." I tried to scream, but my voice wasn't loud enough. My mind was buzzing with the horrible possibilities.

"Let her go." Unlike mine, this voice was steady and showed authority.

The lord looked at a very angry Alex who was standing in front of us. "Y-your Majesty." He stuttered, letting go of me immediately and bowing.

"She is _mine._ " The way she growled the last word sent shivers up my spine.

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't now that she was your personal consort." By now, the lord was scared for his life. _He should be,_ I thought.

"If you ever _look_ at her again I will _destroy_ you." Alex wrapped her arm around my waist, digging her nails into my skin, pulling me to her possessively. _I had never seen her so angry before._ Despite the fact that there was nothing but rage in her eyes, I felt safe pressed against her. "Now get lost." Alex didn't have to say it twice. In seconds the lord had vanished from our sight.

"Are you okay?" She asked me, all the anger fading into concern.

I nodded, not wanting to speak about. "Can we go home now?" I asked, wrapping my arms around myself.

Her eyes lingered on my face for a little before saying, "Of course."

…..

Falling asleep was one of the hardest things I had done in my life. I could still _feel_ the lord's hand and Alex's growl replayed in my head. _She is mine._ Surely she meant that I belong to her as property. That was it. Nothing more.

 _My eyes opened and I saw Alex leaning against the wall of my bedroom. She had made no sound- I woke up because, as weird as it sounds, I felt her presence. This time she was wearing the same nightgown she had been when I saw her last night. She felt so real, but I knew it was just a dream._

 _"Come closer, Alex." When she didn't respond I said with slight irritation in my voice, "It's one thing to ignore me in reality but if you start doing it in my dreams as well I'll go crazy." With a faint smile, she made her way to my bed, where she sat at the edge. "Get under the covers with me." I meant to say it like an order, but instead it sounded like a plea._

 _"So bossy." Alex joked, granting my wish. "Anything else?" She teased, with a smirk._

 _"Yes." I told her. "Hold me."_

 _She blinked a few times and I understood I caught her off guard. Without waiting for her to say or do anything that could ruin this, I moved so my body was pressed against hers and my head was resting on her chest. An unusual warmth radiated from her. And then I understood that it wasn't really warmth, but the sense of safety. When I was with her, nobody could harm me. Nobody but her._

 _"Do you want to talk?" She asked me making me notice for the first time that I had wrapped my arms around her body, holding her tight, afraid that she would leave me otherwise._

 _"No." I muttered without loosening my grip._

 _"Pipes…" She whispered in a way that made my heart melt._

 _"Just hold me." I begged her, trying to fight the tears._

 _This time, Alex didn't say anything. She just embraced me and held me so close that I believed we were one._

When I opened my eyes again, daylight had entered through my window and Alex was nowhere to be seen. _It was just a dream._ I told myself again, for that part of me that refused to believe it.

I opened the door of my room, planning to go to the kitchen to have breakfast. However, the guard that was standing close by stopped me. "Her Majesty asked for you to visit her quarters as soon as you woke up." I nodded, wondering what could she want from me.

…

I knocked on the door a few times and then said, "It's Piper, Your Majesty." The door opened and I was met with Alex who was sitting on her bed eating a chocolate covered strawberry.

"Come in, Piper." She said without bothering to take her eyes from her breakfast. "Want some?" She asked, after I made my way to her bed.

"Sure." I had always wanted to try them and just like many things, Alex was going to make it possible.

"Here." She took a finger in between her delicate finger and brought it to my mouth, which touched them just for a second. _It was delicious._ "How did you sleep?"

"Okay, I guess." I lied. "What about you?"

Alex shrugged and I felt she was hiding something just like I was. "What do you have in store for today?" She asked me, bitting at another strawberry.

"I'll probably ask Lorna to walk with me through the gardens."

"That sounds boring." Alex said flatly.

"Well, I could go riding with Nicky, but you won't allow it, will you?" I asked, with slight irritation.

"Last time you spent time with her you got injured." She told me, pushing the plate with the strawberries aside. "I'm not putting you into risk again."

I scoffed. "Oh come on! It was an accident." I cross my arms. "Do you have anything more interesting and less dangerous in mind?"

"We could have our first reading lesson." Alex suggested and I realized I had totally forgotten about it. Before I could tell her how amazing that would be she added, "And to be crystal clear, I never forbade you going riding."

"What do you-" My lips turned into a smile. "You'd take me riding? Aren't you too busy?"

"I could always find time for you, kid."

…..

Alex brought a big, heavy looking, book to the desk I was sitting at. "Don't you think we should start with something _easier?_ " I asked, running a hand on it's leather cover. Golden letters were imprinted on it.

"It's not _hard_. Just _big_." She opened it to a random page. "I read it when I was ten years old." _That meant that she was rich- royalty even._

"How long ago was that?"

" _Very long._ " Nostalgia was evident in her voice. "In order to learn how to read _and_ write, you have to begin with the alphabet." I nodded as she passed me a blank sheet of paper, a feather and a small jar of ink. "This-" Her hand pointed at a letter. "-is the first letter of the alphabet. _A._ "

I took a good look at the small shape that was called a letter. "A…" I repeated.

"Try to write it." Alex encouraged me, placing her hand on my shoulder.

I dipped the feather into the ink and as steadily as possibly I copied the letter at my paper. It didn't look good, but you could identify it. "Really good." She praised me and moved on to the next letter.

Each letter came out better than the last one, my _z_ being a close copy to the one in the book. "What now?"

"You'll copy the alphabet and-" She took the feather from my hand and wrote down a bunch of letters. "-those sentences five times."

"What do they say?" I asked, squinting my eyes as if that would turn the letters into words.

"Alex Vause is the most beautiful queen. Alex Vause is the smartest queen. Alex Vause is the greatest queen."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Cocky much?"

Alex smirked. "Very much." She put the feather down. "I have to go take care of some _things._ Be done with it by the time I'm back." She closed the book and returned it to it's place in the gigantic bookcase. "Oh, and be in your most comfortable clothes. I'll take you riding."

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are excited for the next one. Stay awesome, loves and don't forget to review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys, I now it's been forever and I'm so sorry for making you wait this long, but I was just so busy. I hope you won't hold a grudge… This year, I decided to try and participate in NaNoWriMo so I won't be able to update both stories in a week, so next week it's Oblivion's turn.**

 **For all of you who assumed that Alex controls dreams, you were close, but not quite right. It was a very good guess though. If you have any more ideas, share them in the review section.**

 **I hope you enjoy :)**

I was lying on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling when Alex finally walked in. "What took you so long?" I asked her, settling into a sitting position.

"Being the Queen of a powerful kingdom can be very time-consuming." She told me, making her way to my desk. "You wrote them _ten times._ " Alex said, turning to look at me with a pleased and intrigued smirk.

"I thought I should take advantage of my free-time." I told her with a shrug. _Truth was, I wanted to impress her with my extra work._

"You've done a very good job." She ran a finger over my sentences. "Your letters are improving, too."

"Thank you." I told her with a proud smile on my lips. _A compliment coming from someone as good as her meant a lot._

"I see you are ready to go riding." She said, taking in my outfit. When I asked Lorna to find me riding clothes because Alex would take me for a walk, she couldn't have been more surprised. But nevertheless, she gave me a dark leather tunic and a pair of tall, comfortable boots.

"Oh, I've been ready for a while now." Her tunic was similar to mine, but it was embroidered with little jewels in dark shades. Just as always, she was breathtaking.

…

Alex led me outside the stables were two beautiful horses waited for us. The first one was tall and strong looking. It's fur was a deep black and it couldn't stay still. _It wasn't hard to figure out that it was Alex's._ The other one had a more delicate figure -probably female- and it's fur was an untainted white. "They are beautiful." I whispered, getting closer to them.

"He has been my favorite horse for a few years now." She explained, patting its neck. "His name is Thunder."

I didn't have to look in the stables to know that the one in front of me was the only white horse. "Why did you give me a white horse?" I asked her, trying to get up on it.

"You don't like it?"

"Of course I do. I was just wondering why you got in the trouble of finding a white horse and didn't instead just give me one of the black ones."

Alex secured her foot in the stirrup and with a swift movement swung up on the horses back. "Because you are special and therefore deserve a special horse." A blush appeared on my cheeks. "Because of Piper, you are the only pure person I've seen in years and I thought you having the only horse seemed poetic."

…

Alex and I galloped through the magnificent woods and I couldn't tear my eyes from the beautiful but raw nature. _This wasn't anything like the garden._ Plants grew all over the place and animals turned their heads to look at us, as we passed in front of them.

"Stop here." Alex called out and I pulled the reigns of my horse. We were standing in front of a small lake with a waterfall falling into it.

"This is-" I paused, searching for the right words. "Breathtaking." Even though throughout the whole length of our journey it was twilight, right now the sun is burning brightly in the sky. "How is this happening?" I asked her, pointing at the sky.

With her usual smirks, Alex said, " _Magic._ "

"Is that your gift?" I teased her. "Changing night into daytime?"

Jumping off her horse she told me cryptically, "I _do_ have a part in what you are experiencing."

"Oh, do you now?" I asked her, her words having sparked my curiosity. "What _is_ your power?" I followed her onto the ground and waited for an answer that wouldn't come in the near future.

"Haven't we talked about that?" She asked, taking a satchel off the saddle of her horse. "You don't need to know."

"But I _want_ to." I whined, making my way to the lake. "Will we go swimming?" I asked, dipping my hand in the crystal clear waters.

"Not today, kid." Alex told me, chuckling at my enthusiasm. "You don't always get what you want in life."

I turned around to look at her and realized how close to me she was. "Why don't you want to tell me?" I asked as she settled down near the edge of the lake. "Are you scared that it won't be as cool as Nicky and Lorna's?" I joked, sitting next to her.

Alex didn't laugh nor smile. "I'm scared that it would make you afraid of me." She said simply, her face expressionless, as she opened the satchel.

"Alex…" I laughed awkwardly. "I'm terrified of your facade, the you that you show to the whole world, but I know that you would never hurt me."

She slowly turned her head so her green icy eyes were looking straight into mine. "I would never hurt you on purpose." I held my breath while I waited for the inevitable _but._ "But a power as strong as mine can get… _out of control._ "

"So, you don't control it?" I asked, instinctively getting closer instead of further away.

"Normally, I do." Alex explained. "But sometimes, especially when I use much of it, my power can slip away from my control." She abruptly broke our eye contact, yanking her head to the opposite direction. "And that doesn't end well." Her voice was firm and contained as if she feared that otherwise, her tone would betray her emotions. " _Especially with humans._ "

My hand found it's way on her arm and I didn't move it. "Did something-" I paused and then tried again. "Did something happen?"

Alex forced her eyes shut and pressed her lips into a tight, straight line. "I'd rather not talk about it." Her voice had a certain coldness in it that made my whole body freeze.

"Alex…" I told her softly while tenderly stroking her arm. "You can talk to me."

"I know." She told me and her face was so close to mine that the only thing I could do was hold my breath and wait for her to do something. "So, I told Red about our little expedition and-" Alex pulled away and took something that was wrapped in paper out off the satchel. "-she made us these sugar cookies. She said they were your favorite."

I smiled as Alex gave me a cookie. "They are. Thank you so much." I told her sincerely before taking a bite from my cookie.

She chuckled. "They are just cookies, Piper."

"No, I mean for _everything._ " I said, my mouth still full of the cookie. "Finding time to keep me company even though you have to deal with so many things." I didn't exactly know what those things were, but I believed her when she talked about how busy she was. _I wasn't sure I wanted to know._

"Well, you are very welcome." Alex said, biting into her cookie as well. "But it's not a chore. I really enjoy spending time with you."

I couldn't hide the bright smile from my face, something that partly ruined my joke. "Well, I wouldn't second that. I mean, I only have four people I can hang out with, you included."

She let out a mix of a scoff and a chuckle. "Oh really? Because last time I checked you coming late night into my room seeking for my company."

"Like I said, I was very lonely and you were the only one available at the time." It was a big fat lie, but I didn't want to fuel her ignorance.

"Okay, Piper Chapman. From now on, you'll only have _three_ people to hang out with." Her voice was so flat that a part of me wondered if she wasn't joking.

"You think you could go a day without talking to me?" I teased her with a proud smirk.

"Even if I may not be able to, I'll have to." Alex got up from the ground and started walking towards the direction of our horses. "I travel a lot."

"Where are you going?"

"Missing me already?" She joked and I couldn't resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Just getting some more of Red's treats."

Satisfied by her answer, I let my eyes wander at the sky and the dazzling shades of the evening sun. I was so focused on what I was doing, that when I felt something pressing against my back, I let out a startled gasp.

"Is everything okay?" Alex called out from afar.

"Yeah." I reassured her looking at the creature that had scared me. "It's just a cat." I ran my hand at the length of it's soft, back fur and heard it purr.

"No, no, no!" Alex shouted and before I could register what was happening she started running towards me. _But it was too late._ The adorable-looking cat took out it's claws and scratched my arm viciously, making me scream loudly. It tried to scratch me again, but Alex kicked it away from me. "Stay behind me." She commanded as the cat transformed into a person. Alex took out a dagger I didn't even know she had and tried to attack the man, but he was quicker and his dagger went straight into her stomach. Letting out a growl, Alex removed the dagger and strategically stabbed him in a place where she would hurt but not kill him. "Get to the horses. I'll be there before you know it."

Even though I didn't want to leave her, I obeyed and ran to our horses, trying to ignore the pain coming from my arm. Like she promised, Alex appeared behind me, not after long. "How are you feeling?" She asked me while helping me get on her horse.

"It hurts a little, but I'm fine." My eyes fell on the deep cut on her stomach. "You on the other hand-"

Jumping on the horse she cut me off, "Hold on tight to me and don't let go."

"But what about my horse and the man?" I asked, wrapping my arms tightly around her waist, trying to avoid her injury.

"None of them will go anywhere." With that, Alex dug her heels into the horse's side and we started galloping away at a speed that could make anyone fear for their life. She must have sensed my terror, because she said, "Don't worry, you are perfectly safe." Despite everything that had just happened, I believed her.

…

Even though I insisted that I was able to walk, Alex carried me to Lorna's room, where she carefully set me on the bed. "This is ridiculous." I protested. "Alex's wound is way more severe than mine. She should be treated first." But Lorna had gotten orders from Alex to treat me first, so she couldn't do otherwise. "Alex!" I shouted. "Look at your stomach."

"I've endured way worse." She said quietly while looking at my scratch like it was the most dangerous injury in the world.

"Well, me too. I know you think that all humans are helpless little creatures, but we go through pain too." I told her, just as Lorna took my hand and I felt the familiar tingle overwhelm me.

Alex didn't say anything as my scratched healed completely. "All done." It was the petite woman that broke the uncomfortable silence that lingered between us.

I left her room after I made sure that she was going to heal Alex now and headed to mine.

….

I had changed into my nightgown after I realized it was night and got under the covers of my bed. I really craved for some time alone to process what had happened, but I wasn't going to get it.

"Here is our survivor." Said Nicky with a pleasant smile, after walking into my room uninvited.

I wasn't in the mood for chit-chat so I just asked her, "Did Alex sent you?"

"She wanted to know if you were still mad at her." She told me, her smile fainting a little.

"I'm mad that she risked her health to deal with my minor injuries." I said, crossing my arms.

" _Minor injuries?_ Piper, the claws of all shapeshifters are poisonous." Nicky explained softly, afraid of how would I react to this new information.

"Y-you mean I could have died if-" All color drained from my face and a dizziness hit me hard in the head.

"If Alex hadn't insisted on you being treated, _yes._ "

I felt worse for the fact that Alex was trying to save my life while I argued with her than the realization that I was very close to death. "I have to go."

…

Alex must have ordered them to do so because the guards didn't stop me when I barged into her bedroom. She was peacefully lying on her bed, reading a gigantic book. "Piper?" She asked with slight confusion at the sight of me.

I wanted to say so many things to her and I didn't know from where to start. "Alex I-" I tried telling her but failed. "Look, I need you to know that I feel very-" I paused again, this time breathing out in frustration.

"Hey." Alex said gently. "It's okay, Piper. Take a breath." I nodded and took in a generous amount of air before letting it out. "Now, come here and tell me what's wrong."

She was so _kind_ to me. Always made me feel better. I hadn't fully realized that until now. "About earlier…" I started, settling down at the edge of her bed. "I'm so, so _sorry,_ Alex." _There I said it._ "You wanted to save my life and I was being such a prick to you. I just… I didn't know." I told her, my voice cracking on several points.

Alex smiled faintly and after closing her book, came closer to me. "I didn't want to tell you and scare you." She paused, closing her eyes, as if what she was about to say would hurt her. "You don't belong here, Piper."

I just stared at her silently, because I couldn't say anything against it.

"It was my fault that I took you out at the forrest. You would have thought that after the incident at the ball I would have learned my lesson, but no. I had to put your life at risk again." She spoke as if she loathed herself and a part of me wondered if, to an extent, she actually did.

"Alex, it wasn't your fault. It was mine. You were… You were _perfect._ " And that was when I started crying. I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face, or the sobs from escaping my mouth.

"Hey now…" Alex whispered as she wrapped her arms around my shaking body and held it against hers. "You are safe now." She murmured against my hair while stroking my back reassuringly.

"I know, I just-" My voice failed me once more and Alex pulled me even closer to her.

"You are in shock. It's totally normal." Her voice was so soothing that it made me almost feel okay. "Don't worry about it, _Pipes_." My nickname rolling so easily off her tongue made me melt in her embrace. "You know, you could stay over if that made you feel safer."

I started at her and it took me a while to realize that she actually meant it and was waiting for a response. "I would love that."

Alex smiled and raised the covers so we could both get under their warmth. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, I focused all my energy on staying at my side of the bed and not touching Alex. After a while of this torture, she chuckled and said, "You were way more _friendly_ when you thought that it was a dream."

I forgot how to breathe. "It wasn't a dream?" I asked her, turning around, forgetting all about personal boundaries.

With her usual wicked smirk, she shook her head. "I came to your room to check on you and I accidentally woke you up. The fact that you immediately thought it was a dream made me think that you've had many dreams starring me, so I just went along with it."

"Not many…" I said defensively. "Just one." _One hell of a dream._

Alex moved towards me, to a point where we were that close that our foreheads touched. "Care to tell me what it was about?"

"There is no way you'll get me to talk about." I told her with confidence.

"I could always torture the information out of you." She said mischievously and I believed she was joking until she straddled me. With one hand she held my hands above my head and with the other she started tickling me.

"ALEX!" I screamed in between hysterical laughter. "Stop!" Tears were streaming down my cheeks. _I really hated being tickled._

"What was in the dream?" Alex asked again and I almost didn't hear her over my shrieks and yelling.

I knew she wasn't going to stop otherwise so I admitted, "You were wearing my outfit from the first ball." To my relief she stopped tickling me, but didn't let go of my hands. Her right hand was resting on my stomach, an indication that if I didn't start talking she would go on with her torture. "You did a sexy dance for me." I said and at that point was not able to look her in the eyes.

"Is that all?" She asked, tracing small circles on my skin.

"Yes." _It wasn't a lie._ Nothing else had happened. _She didn't ask what I wanted to happen._

"You know, they say that dreams are visions of things we want to do." Alex told me coyly, finally letting go of my hands.

"Shut up."

"What have I told you about that dirty mouth of yours?" She asked me, rolling off me and to my side.

"Can we just go to sleep?" I asked, feeling the exhaustion reach me.

"You know, you could sleep in my arms if that would make you feel safer." Alex told me, her voice ripped off all its playfulness. _She meant it. And she wanted it just as much as I did._

"Only if you promise to be here tomorrow morning." I told her as I got welcomed into her warm embrace.

"I swear it, kid."

 _I might have imagined it, but she pressed a kiss on the top of my head._

 **A/N: Was the wait worth this slightly longer chapter? Please leave a review to let me know your thoughts. They mean the world to me and also are the best kind of motivation, so more reviews, more frequent updates. Thanks so much. *kisses.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Was the wait worth this slightly longer chapter? Please leave a review to let me know about your thoughts. They mean the world to me and also are the best kind of motivation, so more reviews, more frequent updates. Thanks so much. *kisses.**

 _—_

 **A/N: Hey, guys. I have to say that this is my favorite chapter so far, because so many things happen. It was very fun to write and the thing I have in mind will only be more interesting. Enjoy :)**

When I woke up, I couldn't believe that I wasn't dreaming. Alex's warm body was pressed against mine and I could feel her chest rise and fall with every breath she took. _She had stayed._

"I know you are awake." She told me softly and I decided that from now on, the first thing I wanted to hear every morning when I woke up was her husky voice. "Why do you keep your eyes closed?"

"Because if I wake up, we have to go to breakfast. And I don't want to leave this bed." I said sincerely, opening my eyes and taking a look at her. Even after waking up, she looked breathtaking.

Alex smiled faintly and I could tell something was wrong. "I guess we can stay here a little longer." She said so quietly that I barely heard it.

I didn't want to ruin this perfect moment with concerns and bad thoughts. So, I just closed my eyes again and became her little spoon, cherishing every second that passed.

…..

Alex hadn't joined me for breakfast, so I literally devoured what Red put in front me, not wanting to wait another moment before I could go back to bed.

"What's the rush, kid?" Nicky asked me with a lopsided grin.

"I have things to do with Alex." I told her, not caring that my mouth was full.

" _Today_?" She repeated with disbelief. "Impossible."

"Why?" I stopped stuffing my mouth with food. "What's today?"

Nicky and Red shared a look and the wolf sat down beside me. "Now, I need you to listen very carefully and try to understand what I tell you." She hadn't even started and I had a feeling that I wouldn't like what she had to say. "Once in six months, we each have a specific day in which we lose control of our powers." I stared at her, holding my breath. "For me that means that I can't shift out of my wolf form. Lorna harms whoever she touches."

She deliberately failed to mention what happened to the one I cared most about. "And what about Alex?"

Nicky sighed and looked down in discomfort. "Alex is the most powerful of us and for her it's-"

"What happens to her, Nicky?"

"Alex loses control of her illusions. For several hours, she doesn't now what's real and what's not. She's lucky if she has gained most of her control before the day is over."

I felt the world crumble beneath my feet. _So much new information…_ Alex is an illusion-maker, I repeated it in my brain and somehow it made perfect sense. But that was not my main concern right now. _She can't distinguish reality from illusion._

Before Nicky could stop me, I started running. I ran and ran until I was breathlessly standing outside her closed doors. "Please." I told the guards, begging them to let me in.

"Her Majesty doesn't allow anyone, Ms. Chapman." One of them said without any expression.

I was about to walk away when I heard her scream. _Something inside me cracked._ I caught the guards off guard when I pushed my way through them, that being the only reason I managed to walk into the room.

On the bed lay Alex, constantly moving as if trying to escape from something. Suddenly her head yanked to my side. "Piper…?" She asked weakly. I was already by her side when the next question came. "Are you real?"

"Yes." I breathed. "I'm real. I'm here with you, Alex."

A croaky plea came out of her mouth. "Please go."

"What? Why?" I asked, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"I'll hurt you." Her voice was full of panic. "I can't control myself."

"I'm not leaving." I told her, my tone gentle.

"Please, Piper. If you are real, go!" Her eyes darted to the other side of the room and fear was written all over her face. _An illusion,_ I presumed. "Please." She winced as if something had hurt her.

"If you were in my position," I gave her my hand and she held onto it so tightly to a point where I almost felt pain. "-would you leave?"

Her silence was the answer I had expected. "Nothing is real." I said, getting onto the bed. "Just you and me." With that, I wrapped my arms around her, making her my little spoon.

…

The hours passed by and Alex squirmed and winced and I could nothing more than tell her soothing words and hold her. The day was coming to an end but instead of getting better, she only got worse.

"Mum." She cried out, looking at something I couldn't see. "I'm so, so sorry." A single tear run down her cheek. _It was the first time I saw her cry._ Turning to me, she screamed, "It's your fault she is dead!"

"What? Alex, no. I-" Before I could finish my sentence she pushed me onto my back and wrapped her hands around my throat.

"I'll kill you." Alex was _looking_ at me but she was definitely not _seeing_ me _._

"Alex!" I screamed back at her. "It's Piper."

Just when I thought that this was how I would die, she blinked a few times and let go of my throat. "Dear Gods, what have I done?" She breathed out. "Piper I'm so sorry. I didn't mean- I- I wasn't- Please forgive me." Tears were streaming down her beautiful face while she softly ran her hand on my necks and the marks that she had left there.

"Of course I forgive you." I told her sincerely, getting into a sitting position. "I'm okay, really." She looked at me with disbelief and I added, "It's nothing Lorna can't fix _."_

"Please, go there immediately." I decided that the logical thing to do would be to agree with her, so after placing a kiss on her cheek I left for Lorna's room.

…

It was Alex who came to find me.

"Hey, there." She said, leaning against the door frame.

"Hey." I told her with a smile. "You look better."

"So do you." She sat at the edge of my bed. "About earlier-"

"Please don't bring up the _incident._ It was really nothing."

Alex allowed herself to smile faintly. "I actually wanted to thank you for staying with me despite all dangers."

"You would have done the same for me." The words come out of my mouth before I can think against it.

"You are right. _I would_. But I never allowed myself to think- to _dream_ that you might care enough." It was spoken so quietly that I had to move closer to her so I could understand it fully.

"Alex…" I didn't what else to say, so I just said her name. _Oh, how I loved her name._ "Alex." I said again and smiled as if it was my own inside joke.

"A little bird told me that you enjoy taking baths a lot."

"I love everything that has to do with water _. Especially when it's warm._ " I smiled. "It's my happy place."

"Well, then you'll be _elated_ when you see what I want to show you."

…..

"May I open my eyes yet?" I asked, feeling a little scared wandering through the gardens without my vision. _I wondered why she had asked me to wear nothing but a robe._

"Just a little more." She told me and I could feel her excitement. "Okay, you can see now."

We were in a secluded part of the gardens that I hadn't visited before and in front of me was a hot spring. The water must have been very warm because steam was coming out of it. "Alex… It's- _perfect._ "

A gasp escaped my lips as she walked behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. "I want to show you my gratitude." She whispered in my ear, sending shivers up my spine. "This was my least severe loss of control in ever. And it was all because of you." With a swift move, she turned me so I was looking straight into her icy green eyes. "Ask me for anything."

I didn't have to think twice. "Show me your powers."

"Ah… Nicky told you about them, didn't she?" Alex asked, running a hand through her raven-colored hair.

"She had to. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what was wrong with you." I spoke the next words, so, so softly. "Don't be mad at her."

"I won't." Alex smiled bitterly. "If you want me to stop at any moment, just say it." She warned me and closed her eyes. Shortly after, rain started pouring down from the sky. "Wow…" I breathed out as my clothes and hair got wetter and wetter.

"Seems real, doesn't it?" Before I could nod, the rain stopped falling and I was dry. "How about this?"

Hundreds of butterflies appeared out of nowhere and started circling me, trapping me in a hurricane of vibrant colors. I was giggling like a little child until each of them vanished. "Alex, you can create so many beautiful things," I told her, my hands holding hers. "All this time I thought that you were darkness, but in reality, you are just a star pretending to be darkness, because you are too afraid to stand out."

She didn't answer verbally. Instead, behind her appeared a creature made of the most terrifying nightmares. It was very tall and lean, its skin was covered in scars and it didn't have a face- just razor sharp teeth.

I didn't let my fear show. "You don't scare me." I said firmly, staring at the illusion until it faded.

Alex opened her mouth to say something but then thought against it. With her delicate fingers, she undid the knot that kept her robe closed and let it fall down, revealing her bare behind. My breath hitched and she chuckled while entering the hot springs. "Come on, kid. I know how bad you want to go in the water."

 _Don't be a coward,_ I told myself harshly and after taking a deep breath, I dropped my robe exposing my naked body to Alex. I slowly made my way into the water, trying to don't shake too much. Two emeralds were glued on me, appreciating every curve and edge of my body. She looked me in a way that didn't make me feel uncomfortable, but rather a priceless piece of art.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" Alex asked me and I suddenly couldn't breathe. I didn't know if it was because of the fact are naked bodies were touching or the way she spoke those words. Yes, she had called me beautiful again, but back then it was only a compliment, meant to charm and seduce me. This time, it came from her heart.

"I love the smiles those lips create." She whispered, running her wet thumb on my lower lip. My eyes fluttered closed on their own and when I regained my sight, we were swimming in the night sky. Like freckles, stars were decorating the water, that bare resemblance to the dark sky.

"Is this real?" I asked in awe.

"Does it matter?"

"No." I murmured simply. "Are _you_ real?"

"Yes." She told me with a soft chuckle.

"Good." Every living cell in my body knew that if I didn't kiss her I would explode. So, pushing away every trace of fear or doubt left in me, I pressed my forehead against hers and slightly, oh so slightly, brushed my lips on hers, a silent invitation to make the first move.

Her eyes locked on mine, asking me for permission as she positioned her hand on my cheek. _Yes,_ I wanted to scream, but instead I simply nodded. Alex then slowly -giving me the chance to back away until the last moment- pressed her lips against mine. _It felt as if I had taken my first breath after centuries of suffocating._ The next one was more passionate, Alex bringing our bodies closer the same moment she sucking gently on my lower lip. "Alex…" I moaned out her name, not knowing any other way to express how I felt.

"I know, Pipes. _I know._ " She kissed me again as if I was addictive and she _had_ to have _just one more,_ even though she knew that even with that she wouldn't be left satisfied. "Close your eyes."I didn't know why she wanted me to, but I obeyed nevertheless. _I was utterly hers._

When I opened them again, we were no longer in the garden. Still naked, we were on her king sized bed. The thought didn't intimidate me. In contrast, it excited me. "H-how did-"

"Shhh…" She murmured against my lips and with a courage I didn't know I possessed, I used my hands to bring her face even closer to mine and to kiss her. "Let me take care of you." _She didn't have to say it twice._

I was lying on my back and Alex was hovering above me. It started with another kiss on the lips, which was even more pleasurable than the last. She then moved on to kiss the length of my neck, sometimes sucking on the sensitive skin, making moan and groan. When she was done with that, she kissed her way down my torso and stopped somewhere in between my navel and lady parts. Icy green eyes looked up, catching mine. I was about to tell her how much I wanted, _needed_ this when there was a knock on the door.

 _"Who the hell is it?"_ Alex growled, looking at the door's direction.

"Lorenzo is here, your Majesty." I recognized the voice of one of her guards.

She threw her head back in frustration. "Out of all the time in the world, he had to come _now_?"

"Who is Lorenzo?" I asked, for the first time feeling a little exposed being completely naked.

"He is my recruiter." Alex was wrapping a robe around her body. "He travels around the continent looking for people like me and he brings them here."

"Do you _have_ to go?"

"I'm so sorry, Pipes." She told me, planting a kiss on my head. "You can join me if you please." With that, she threw a silk robe at me, presumably one of hers. "Either way, I promise to you, we will continue _this._ "

…

Alex was sitting on her throne and I was positioned on her lap. All the court people that were in the throne room had their eyes glued to me. Some of them looked at me with pity, while others with disgust. All of them, however, shared the same thought. _Alexandra's whore._

I didn't mind. Not a single bit. Because she softly stroke my thigh, not a sexual but rather reassuring movement, and she looked at me, her eyes filled with so much love that made everything else be background. I was there for Alex and nothing else mattered.

Even though we were both wearing our robes -it was the middle of the night after all- Alex had put on her heavy looking crown, which was covered in black jewels the size of small rocks. _The Lady Alexandra Vause, the first of her name, mighty Queen of Darkness,_ and many other titles I couldn't remember.

Finally, a young man appeared and the guards announced him as Lorenzo Salvatore. _He was a fine looking man._ But no nearly as close to the beauty that was currently breathing against my neck. Acknowledging him, she said flatly, "Report your findings and be done with it."

Despite her tone, he managed a smile that could make any girl swoon. "Two triggered and one that still has not shown his power, your Majesty."

Alex seemed pleased. "Very good. I'd like to meet them first thing tomorrow."

Lorenzo nodded politely and then let his eyes wander on me. His look was something new- not judgment or sympathy, but _pure excitement._ He then turned back to Alex. "I didn't know that you had found someone on your own, your Majesty."

"What do you mean?" Each word came out gritted teeth as if she knew the answer but didn't want to hear it.

"Your… _companion_ is one of the gifted ones."

 **A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I just** ** _had to._** **I'd love to hear your thoughts on it and of course the Vauseman moment. I'm eagerly waiting for each review you write. Stay awesome :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: The support the last chapter got was unreal. I literally can't thank you guys enough. I'm so happy you like the last chapter. As a sign of my gratitudeshinyI upload a chapter on this story instead of "Oblivion". This will be coming later this week (probably). I hope this one is just as thrilling and exciting. Enjoy :)**

"No," Alex said, struggling to keep her voice from cracking. "She is not." _She failed._

"What?" Was all I could think of saying.

Lorenzo flashed another of his smiles. "This _lovely_ miss possesses a power." He took some steps closer to the throne. "Since it's not triggered, I can't be certain of what it is, but my senses tell me it has something to do the mind." _Just like yours,_ was what his eyes silently said. "It's been a while since we came across someone who was like her."

The information was racing to my head in such speed that made me feel dizzy and nauseous. _I was one of the gifted ones._ Just like Nicky and Lorna and… _Alex._ "So, am I not a human?" I asked, considering for the first time the possibility that I might actually belong in Alex's court.

Before Lorenzo could answer my question, Alex spoke sternly, "Of course you are."

"Until you activate your power, you are still mundane." He further explained.

"And how does one do that?" Alex's explanation at the time I had asked, had been vague.

"By doing horrible things." She told me, just like last time.

"You have to embrace your inner darkness and learn to live with it." Lorenzo continued. "While for most is a very hard task, some face no problems."

"Don't lie to her." Alex snapped. "Only soulless creatures don't mind what we went through."

A serpent's smile formed on his lips. "It didn't affect me, your Majesty." He gave us a small time period to interpret his words however we wanted, before saying, "It's not like it was horrible for you either. Not painless, but not hell either."

"Piper doesn't have to go through all that pain." She said, her eyes glued on Lorenzo. Such hatred radiated from those emeralds of hers and even though it wasn't directed to me, it intimidated me.

"None of us _had to_." Lorenzo replied, perfectly calm. _I admired his nerve._ "We chose this path of _power_." When saying the last word, he turned to me. "Imagine this, _Piper._ You could be just as powerful as any of us. You could stop being an outcast. You could-"

"Enough with the brain-washing!" Alex said, cutting him off. "She won't trigger it."

"Don't I have a saying in this?" I asked, a little too loudly, making all the head turn to my direction. It's not like I disagreed - _or agreed_ \- with Alex, but this was my choice to make. _Not hers._

"Of course you do, love." _I hated Alex's hurt expression and how he grinned smugly because of it._ "Remember now, _Alexandra,_ that you have declared that any person with abilities is immediately freed from any master. If she wants to come, nobody can stop her."

"She is not my slave!" She shouted and all the whispers turned into silence at once.

"Oh, come on. You bought the poor girl, for gods sake." He snapped back at her, narrowing his dazzling gray eyes. It was evident that he desperately wanted me to access my power, but his motive or goal was still unknown to me.

I got up from Alex's lap and took some steps closer to Lorenzo. "Let's say that I decide to trigger it- what then?" I didn't dare to look at Alex while asking this.

"You will come with me to a facility specifically made for that reason. The length of your stay will be determined by your process." He was inspecting me, making me feel like merchandise waiting to be bought.

"Before you decide, can you please let me try to talk you out of it?" Alex spoke, making me turn my head to look at her. Her lips were pressed together and her eyes were slightly watery.

"I would never make that choice without hearing your opinion first." I said sincerely.

 _I was more than happy to see that my words disappointed Lorenzo._

 _….._

Alex proposed we had our talk in her bedroom, so we could have the privacy needed. It was only when I was sitting on a bed next to her that I realized that aside from our robes, we weren't wearing anything.

"Please don't go, Pipes." It wasn't a command like those she had said in the throne room and her tone wasn't demanding. It was just a plea said with a broken voice and teary eyes.

"I won't be gone for _that_ gone." I told her with a faint smile, placing my hand on hers.

"It's not that. I just-" She paused to take a breath. " _It_ will destroy you."

"It didn't destroy you." I managed to murmur.

She let out a sarcastic laugh. "You didn't know me before, that's why you say that."

"You are right. I didn't. But I look at you and the last thing I see is someone broken." When she didn't respond, I continued, "You are-" The words failed me. "You are the most perfect person I have met."

Tears were streaming down both of our cheeks. "Piper… Do you care about me? Even the slightest bit." She asked and I had to hold on to every inch of self-control I had to not shout my answer.

"More than everything, right now." I told her, bringing my face closer to hers. "I never could have thought that I could feel that way for you when I first met you." I laughed as if it was my own inside joke. "But I do. It may be a good or a bad thing, _but I do_."

"Oh, Pipes." She whispered and kissed me because her eyes were screaming _if I don't touch you I will die._ "The truth is, I don't want you to call out your inner darkness because I'm selfish." She admitted.

I shook my head. "No, Alex. No, you are not." I told her and couldn't stop myself from stealing another kiss from her. _Not when I didn't know how long they would last._

"But I am. You are the only light I've known in all those years of my dark existence. You are pure and innocent and for some reason you like me. And I will do everything that is in my power to stop the light from burning out. _Because I need it._ "

I know my answer wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth. "I'll have to think about it." Alex nodded, not letting her disappointment and pain show. "Can I spend the night here?" I asked shyly, afraid of her answer.

"Of course, you can, Piper." She kissed my brow. "Always."

…..

We lay silently under the covers for a while, our fingered entwined. "You know…" I started.

"Huh?" She asked, turning to my side.

"You promised _something_ earlier." I already felt my face turn into a bright red.

Alex smiled bitterly. "I'm not going to have sex with you, Pipes. Not right now. I don't want it to influence your choice."

Even though I was aching to have my first experience with Alex, I couldn't ignore how chivalrous she was being right now. I didn't need to be a mind reader to know that she wanted it just as bad as I did. "May I at least kiss you?"

"Oh, please do." She breathed and I didn't give her time to say more. I brought my lips to hers and kissed her sloppily, hungry for more.

We made out, kissing each other at every exposed inch we could find until I murmured, "Sorry for ruining _this._ "

"It's not your fault, kid." Alex said, but I knew she was a little mad at me for not choosing her immediately. As if she could have read my mind, she said, "I'm not mad, Pipes. I just feel a little betrayed, even though I know I shouldn't."

I didn't know how to answer to that, so I rested my head on Alex's torso and before I inhaled her scent deeply and took one good last look, closed my eyes, hoping I would dream of her.

…..

I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of soft sobs. I only realized that Alex was producing them when I felt my head shake each time a sob escaped her lip. "Al?" I asked, my voice croaky.

"Piper? Did I wake you up?" She asked, wiping the tears from her cheek, in a way she thought I wouldn't have noticed.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, avoiding her question.

"Nothing." Alex kissed me cheek. "Go back to sleep."

"Alex." I said more confidently. "What's wrong?"

She sighed and turned to my side, so our foreheads were touching and I could feel her warm breath. "I just really don't want you to do this."

"But why?" I asked, frustration taking over me. _A small part of me wondered if she just didn't want me to be powerful._

"I didn't know Nicky or Lorna before the _change,_ but I knew me, Pipes." Alex shut her eyes closed. "The darkness- It didn't just make me powerful. It also took away a part of me."

"Tell me your story." I whispered.

Even though it was very dark, I could have sworn that Alex smiled bitterly. "Isn't a little too late for ghost stories? You may not be able to sleep afterwards."

"Oh, shut up and tell the story." I told her, my impenitence growing stronger with every second that passed.

" _Ages ago, there was a young princess in a kingdom that no longer exists. She had red hair like flames and for eyes she had two shinny emeralds and everybody spoke of her beauty. However, the princess wasn't interested in being a lady. She wanted to be just like her father- a great warrior and conqueror of lands and of course one of the best kings their kingdom had. Her parents who loved her more than anything, allowed her to train in combat. When she became of age, her father took her with him to a war. There she killed her first man._

 _Soon, more followed. The princess felt a certain darkness embrace her, one that turned her into the best and most bloodthirsty warrior in the kingdom. She was unstoppable, but unstable at the same time. Her parents were worried for her, so they asked the wisest of the wisest men what could be going on with her. Nobody knew. Nobody except one. The princess had a shred of the power of the Gods._

 _The princess was enthralled with her new power and used it to kill even more of her enemies. The darkness had consumed her and every drop of blood she spilled filled her with delicious satisfaction._

 _When her father passed out, as his only heir, she sat on the throne. The kingdom became the most powerful and feared one in all the lands. People were terrified of the new queen that had hair dark like a raven's feather and icy green eyes, that legend said could devour you in a look. Everything was going great in her darkness infused life, until one day_."

"What happened next?" I asked, when I realized she had stopped her storytelling.

"We will continue this another time. I'm sleepy." Alex lied.

"How did the _queen_ recover from the darkness?" I tried again.

"Goodnight, Pipes." She kissed my lips softly and I knew that I couldn't get anything else out of her. _Not tonight, at least._

…

The morning came too quickly. A folded piece of paper filled Alex's empty place beside me. My struggle to read it reminded me that I needed more practice.

 _I've gone out to take care of some business. I will be back before lunch._

I sighed and wrapped myself with her robe, inhaling her scent. What I needed right now was to have a quiet breakfast and to ask advice from my few friends on what I should do. But like most of the times in this palace, nobody cared about what I wanted.

When I opened the bedroom door to exit the room, a servant greeted me with a small bow. Before I could tell her that I was no lady, she said, "Mr. Salvatore has invited you to have a walk in the gardens with him."

"Can't I have breakfast first?" I only realized how rude it sounded after I said it.

My question caused her evident discomfort. "I'm terribly sorry but he asked for you to come as soon as you woke up."

I sighed. "Any particular clothing pieces I should wear?" I asked sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"Yes, actually."

…..

"You look breathtaking, love." Lorenzo said, offering me his arm.

"Thank you very much." I told him flatly. _This was manipulative flattery._ The worst kind, in my opinion.

"You talked with Alexandra last night, didn't you? I hope she didn't say many deceiving things about me." He was smiling as if he was complimenting my dress and not insulting his queen.

"In fact, she didn't say a single thing about you. We talked about other things." I ran my fingers on the soft petals of a beautiful white rose.

"And what could those be?" Lorenzo placed his hand on my hips and brought his body closer to mine. From my surprise, I pricked my finger on the thorns of the delicate rose I was touching.

"Does your summon have a purpose other than trying to make Alex look bad?" My crimson blood fell on the petal, staining it.

He took my finger and sucked the small amount of blood from it. "You have mistaken me, dear. I just want to make sure you have my offer crystal clear in your mind. If you decide to come with me, I will be your personal trainer."

"Why?" I asked sharply. _What made me so interesting to him?_

"Because my senses tell me that you could turn out to be something major." He explained and pressed a graceful kiss on my hand before letting go of it.

"And what if I don't?"

"My senses _never_ fail me." A feline smile. "But if you are the exception to the rule, then that would simply be such a shame."

…..

When I was done with my stroll in the gardens with Lorenzo, it was no longer time for breakfast, The lunch was being served and Alex, who had returned from wherever she had gone, had asked me to dine with her in the grand dinning room.

She made sure he was watching when she kissed me passionately on the lips. My eyes locked withe Lorenzo's and he gave me a knowing smile. _Do you want to be someone's pet?_ he had asked me while we were at the gardens.

I was taking a bite out of a delicious leg of lamb, when Lorenzo announced, "I will be leaving later today." Everybody that was sitting at the table stilled because they knew exactly what it meant. "Have you made up your mind, love?"

I took a deep breath and told him, "Yes." All the people were staring at me, holding their breath. Alex trying to seem calm, but her slightly shaking hands gave her away.

"I'm coming."

 **A/N: I know, I've got to stop with the cliffhangers but it just fit greatly. This one had some backstory and also plot development. I'm dying to read your thoughts on this. If you want earlier updates like this one, leave a review. :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: It's been the longest I've left you guys without an update and there is no excuse. I would like to thank you for continuing to support me through your reviews. I really hope you like this chapter :)**

Everybody remained silent and it killed me that Lorenzo was the one with the smirk and Alex with the broken expression. "Piper…" She whispered to me, her voice shaking.

"I'm sorry." I murmured back at her.

"No." She snapped. "No you are not."

At first, I didn't notice the change. But after seeing my friends staring blankly at where Alex and I were standing, I realized that she had made us disappear. Wishfully thinking that they others couldn't hear us as well and that it was just the two of us now, I let my words run freely out of my mouth. " _I'm sorry_ that you don't want me to be your equal." I shouted back at her. "I thought you-" The question died on my lips the moment I realized that I was just being naive by thinking that.

"Pipes…" Her expression turned from hard into a tender one, but I didn't know what feelings drove that change. Maybe she just felt bad for poor stupid, Piper. Or maybe… Perhaps she felt the same way. _No,_ I chastised myself. _Don't be a fool._

"I thought you were different." I told her, crossing my arms.

"Well, that makes two of us." Angry Alex was back, and for that, I was glad. Because frankly, it was way easier arguing with this one.

"I don't want us to be apart." I said at last, after a long, painful moment of silence.

"Neither do I." Alex said softly. "But then again, I'm not the one leaving."

"Then come with me." She opened her mouth to respond, but I didn't let her. "Or better, be the one to train me, so I can stay here. _With you._ " I pleaded, tears forming in my eyes.

"I can't train you." I could sense how much that fact hurt her. "Only Enzo can." Something told me that there wasn't something more in the world she would want to change.

"No matter what, you should have been supportive." I wasn't angry about it. Just sad and disappointed. And I made sure Alex was aware of it.

"Supportive of you descending into darkness?" She asked.

"Of me wanting to be your equal." I whispered so quietly that it was a miracle she heard me.

"I don't see myself higher than you." Alex explained, cupping my face and bringing it inches apart from hers, to a point where we were so close, I couldn't breathe. "You are the best thing that has happened to me, Piper Chapman."

That was as close to a love confession as I was going to get. Without thinking properly, I crashed my lips against hers hungrily and kissed her as if I was trying to devour her. While at first, it took her by surprise, it didn't take long for her to slide her tongue into my mouth, giving me a knee-weakening kiss. "Al…" I breathed, against her full lips.

"Don't go." Those two words crumbled down everything that we had built in the previous minute of intimacy.

"I want to, Alex." I explained for what felt like the hundredth time. "I will come back, though. I can promise that."

A bitter laugh came out of her lips. "No. No, you can't." She let out a frustrated sigh. "The training will take a piece of you, if you are one of the lucky ones, that is. In some cases, it completely destroys the person."

"YOU CAN'T CHANGE MY MIND, ALEX!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, calling out on my anger, pain and frustration.

It seemed to catch her off guard, but she soon recovered. "Will you be able to handle blood on your hands?" Alex asked me in a vicious tone she had never used on me.

Before I could get myself to answer, my eyes fell on the dining table and I screamed louder than I even knew I could. Everybody that was sitting there, was mutilated in the most horrible ways. Nicky, Lorna, even Lorenzo… All bloody and in pieces. And then I looked down at my hands and they were covered in warm blood and somehow I knew it was their's. I screamed again, this time afraid of my own self. "No…No…No…" Broken whispered echoed across the room.

The illusion was so carefully made that it took me a while to finally understand that the sight in front of me wasn't real. At that, I unleashed my anger on Alex. "You sick, sadistic asshole!" I screamed pushing her hard. "Why do you have to be such a monster?!" I asked, tears running down my face, as I delivered another push. I wanted to tell her that I hated her, but something inside me just couldn't do it.

"I was just trying to show you what Lorenzo will make you do." Alex told me in a calm voice, despite the whole situation. "If you can't handle an illusion, what will you do what this happens in reality, huh?"

"Goodbye, Alex." Was the only thing I could say in between my sobs.

Her face showed the pain one might feel if a thousand daggers were stabbed into his heart. "As you wish."

"What happened?" Nicky asked the moment Alex dropped the illusion and we became visible again. Her eyes fell on me and immediately concern got written all over her face. "Are you okay, kid?"

I wiped the tears off my face and turned to Lorenzo. "Could we leave now?"

"O-of course, dear." It was obvious that my question had taken him by surprise. The grin that tugged on the edges of his lips indicated that it was a pleasant one. "Let's go."

…

The carriage ride was long and silent and it was everything I could have wished for after my _dispute_ with Alex. I loved her, but this was something that I had to do. For me and for her. Because becoming like her, meant us having a _normal_ life.

We would understand each other, she wouldn't be afraid of hurting me and most importantly, I wouldn't get old and die while she remained the same for the centuries that were about to come.

I would endure the pain, the darkness, and the loneliness if it meant a chance at a life with Alex.

….

When the carriage stopped, Lorenzo helped me out of it. Gesturing to the castle he said, "It's not as big as Alex's, but it is good enough, eh?"

I wasn't in the mood to laugh at stupid jokes or to talk about Alex, so I just shrugged him off.

He didn't try another one of his charming one-liners on me, but simply assigned a servant to me and ordered her to take me to my room and make sure I was comfortable. The room was slightly smaller than my previous one, but I didn't mind. I didn't like how empty it used to feel. _It kind of reminded me of the way my heart felt as I thought of Alex._

After what was around an hour or so, the same girl that had led me to my room, delivered an envelope to me. I thanked her and fell on my bed in exhaustion. I was too tired to look for a blade, so I ripped it open with my bare hands. Inside, there was a letter and that moment I was utterly grateful that Alex taught me how to read. I wasn't very fluent, but I could make out the important parts of the letter, probably saving myself from Lorenzo shameless flattery.

 _I understand you must need time to adjust. I hope you can come meet me as soon as possible, so we can start._

His writing was what someone could have described as perfect, but it was no near Alex's flawless one.

…..

I knew I was dreaming because there was no possible explanation for what I was seeing. Alex was lying on my bed, in one of her satin nightgowns, smiling. "Come lie with me, _baby_."

It was the nickname that broke me and as if I was enchanted, I made my way to her.

"I'm sorry." She whispered against my lips before placing a soft kiss on my lips. "I love you so much, sometimes it hurts." Alex admitted, brushing her nose against mine.

I was about to say that I loved her too, because I really did. But then I realized that it wasn't the real Alex saying those things, but a creation of my imagination saying what I wanted -needed- her to. I thought of her laughing at me for having dreams like that. That woke up something vindictive in me. "Oh, Alex." I sighed and crushed our lips together, angrily.

Dream-Alex's reaction was in character, as she grabbed me and kissed me with such force I was afraid she would break me. Her hands roamed my body while her lips roughly bit down on my neck, coloring it purple. She tugged at my hair and swallowed my moan. _I wanted this,_ I thought. Since when did I start enjoying moments like this one?

"Ms. Chapman." She moaned and I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Where did that come from?" I asked with a grin.

"Ms. Chapman." She said again and only then did I realize it was not Alex's voice.

"Ms. Chapman." My personal servant -whose name I had learned was Annalise- repeated for the third time. "It's almost noon."

I groaned at the loss of Alex. "What about it?" I asked, my voice croaky, while I struggled to open my eyes.

She hesitated. "It's been three days since you arrived. Mr. Salvatore is wondering if you-"

"If I am ready to start training?" I cut her off. "No. No, I'm not." I knew I was being rude, but I was in no mood for pleasantries.

"-could join him for lunch." Annalise finish her sentence, her voice indicating her fear.

"Oh." I said. "I guess I could do that." That earned me a pleased smile from her.

"He will be thrilled to hear about that." She said, her voice full of excitement.

"That he will."

…..

"My, my, Piper… You look even more breathtaking than normally." He told me the moment I walked into the room wearing a dress he had picked for me.

"You are not fooling anyone with this flattery, Lorenzo." I said sternly, sitting down across him.

"I'm just telling the truth, dear." He said with a bright smile. "And please call me Enzo."

"Why such sudden intimacy?" I asked cautiously. I didn't trust Lorenzo, not a little bit. But I needed him. _And the bastard knew it._

"We will be spending much time together, Piper. We need to be in good terms with each other." Lorenzo explained, taking a sip from his wine. "You should try this. It's one of the best I've ever had." He slightly raised his cup towards me.

With a snake's smile of my own, I raised my glass and said, "To my training." It was indeed the best thing I had ever tasted. _But then again, there was Alex…_

He smiled genuinely, this time. "And when do you think this should start?" _A dangerous question._

"Don't you think it's too early?" I asked, alarmed.

Enzo took another sip. "We will ease into it. Don't worry. _You are in good hands._ " At that, he winked. "And to be honest, it is still pretty early to talk about training."

I raised an eyebrow at that statement, drinking more of my wine. I knew that getting drunk would probably be very bad, but the soft buzzing in my head was quite nice for the moment.

"First, we need to activate your power."

"Right… I had almost forgotten about that." I took a bite from my plate, my hunger getting the best of me. "What will you have me do? Kill puppies?" I joked.

A sinister smile. "Oh, no, dear. That's too _mediocre._ "

Even though I couldn't see my face, I was absolutely certain that all color had drained from it. "And what exactly will I be doing?" I managed to ask him.

"Tell you now and ruin the surprise?" He shook his finger in a _no_ motion. "You will learn when you are ready."

I wrapped my fingers around my glass and brought it to my lips. With a single movement, I emptied the entire thing- I needed the alcohol for what I was about to say. "I am ready."

"That's amazing news, love." Enzo announced with a victorious smile. "We will start first thing tomorrow morning. Now, go rest." He paused and then added in a low voice. " _You will need it_."

 _….._

But I didn't rest at all since my sleep was full of nightmares. It wasn't them that scared me, no. The possibility that I would have to do such things… That was the real cause of my terror.

As I stood outside the "training" room, I had a hard time reminding myself to breathe. The doors opened and I was met with the sight of Enzo standing in front of three masked people who were on their knees.

"Piper, love." He exclaimed, making his way to me. "It's finally time."

"What will I do?" I asked, my voice cold as my eyes scanned the room.

"It's quite obvious, isn't it?" He paused, presumably waiting for me to say something. When I didn't, he continued, "You will kill them."

"What?" I choked on the air. _Was he being serious?_

He moved behind the first _victim_ and unmasked him. He was a young male with fiery red hair and bright green eyes. He looked like he had come out of the pages of a fairytale.

"What did he do to deserve it?" I asked, a single tear running down the length of my cheek.

"Nothing. If he deserved his death, how would that help you reach your darkness?" He smiled as those words escaped his mouth and offered me a dagger.

I don't remember being more disgusted at something in my entire life. When everything inside me screamed that I couldn't possibly do that, I remembered Alex, and how I had told her that I would be able to go through this. That was what she was afraid of and I had promised her that I would make it through it. So, I accepted the dagger and without thinking about it twice, I plunged it into the boy's heart, making him scream in pain.

 **A/N: I'll have to warn you, this might get dark quickly. Piper will do some messed up shit and *spoiler alert* Alex will witness some of them. I wish this didn't let you down. If you could find the time to write a review, I would be eternally grateful. Stay Awesome :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Merry Christmas guys! I tried to upload before Christmas, but I was away on vacation, so there was no time. I hope this chapter is enough to keep you going for a little while, because next update is Oblivion.**

 **To the Guest that said they wanted to read the book I'm basing this on, go ahead. It's awesome. The second one in the series is my favorite book so far. To you, and all my other readers, read ACOTAR, it's really worth it.**

His blood was the deepest shade of red I had ever seen and it flowed out of his chest like a river. His beautiful eyes that were full of fear few moments ego, now were blank and expressionless. He was dead. No. _I had killed him._

"Good." Enzo told me in a flat tone. "Move on to the next one." Something in his tone told me that he wasn't happy with how easily I completed his task. Perhaps he was hoping for a show. _Well, I wasn't going to give him anything._

He unmasked the second person, who was a middle-aged woman that could have been my mother. Taking a breath I positioned myself to deliver the second lethal blow for the day. But then Enzo stopped me.

"No." He said. "This time, slice her throat open."

My breath hitched, but I didn't let it show. If he thought that this didn't affect me, it would make things easier for me, or so I thought. My hand was slightly shaking, as I drew a deep line at the woman's throat. Blood was squirting out of the wound on my face and dress, but I didn't let my disgust show.

"Next one?" I asked him in a impatient tone. My attitude screamed bored and unmoved. _Perfect._

That earned me a genuine smile. As if he thought that I was a sadistic monster that enjoyed torture like him. "You won't be killing the last one." He informed me, unmasking the person. "Take away his eyes." He then added in a lower voice, "And make it painful."

It killed me to hear the man's screams of pain and look at his face which was overtaken by utter horror, as I slowly carved his eyes out. When I was done, I thought I might puke, but I put on my best poker face and asked, "Is that all it?"

He chuckled softly, "I am surprised you are enjoying this so much."

I smiled cryptically back at him. "I'm full of surprises."

"Well, since you are doing so great, why not rush the whole thing?" He asked, sounding satisfied. "You can take a little extra, can't you?" Enzo teased, winking.

"I will handle whatever you throw at me."

….

I don't think I have regretted words more in my life than those I said to Enzo at the end of my first lesson. I was being cocky and arrogant, and now he was making me pay for it.

In the middle of the room, a young girl was strapped to a pole, her face as white as her dress. She wasn't gagged, so frantic questions flowed out of her mouth like a river. _What is happening? What are you going to do to me? Who are you?_

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, dropping my fake indifference and for once during my time with him, showing him what I really felt. _Horror._

"You will drink her blood." Enzo told me deadpan as if informing me about the weather.

"What?" The girl and I exclaimed in unison. "Please, no… Don't make me do this." I thought that maybe, just maybe, if I begged him, if I gave him what he wanted, he would then forgive me. Right now, my dignity didn't matter a single bit.

"Don't worry, love." A feline smirk tugged on the corner of his lips. "It tastes _good._ "

He handed me a dagger and his cold and stern eyes made it clear that this was punishment. He was putting me to where I belonged. The worst of all was that I deserved it.

"Please…" The girl whimpered as I pressed the dagger against the skin on her neck. "Don't!" She screamed, as I cut into her flesh. "Stop!" A desperate plea as her thick blood ran down the length of her neck.

I did my best to mute her as I brought my lips in contact with the crimson liquid. It was warm and felt nice against my lips and tongue. The taste, however… It was divine. It felt as if I was tasting the core of this world.

What started as a gentle touch of the lips, quickly turned into greedy gulps. I only stop when the girl didn't have any more blood to give. I focused on my surroundings as the realizations started hitting me one by one.

I had killed a girl by draining her of blood- _and I had enjoyed it._ The worst of all, standing a few feet away from me, was Alex. She was looking at me with… _disappointment? Compassion? Guilt?_

"Alex…" It was barely a whisper but I knew she heard me.

"Oh, did I forgot to mention that her Majesty we'll be joining us for a short period?" Enzo asked, acting all innocent.

"Yes. Yes, you did." I said, shooting him a deadly glare.

"How irresponsible of me…" He faked a sigh. "Anyway… I'm sorry darling, but unfortunately I can't spend all my time with you- I have other _things_ to take care of."

"Such a shame." I told him cynically and I swear I saw a ghost of a smile appear on Alex's lips. "How long will you stay?" I asked her, feeling way too nervous for such a stupid question.

"A few weeks." She replied uncomfortably. Clearing her throat, she said, "I have to go."

"Don't." It came out instinctively, but thankfully it was muttered under my breath.

Alex looked at me with emotionless eyes but almost reached out to touch me. She didn't say anything as she walked outside of the room, having Enzo follow behind her.

…..

Days past and the only thing I did was complete more of Enzo tasks and then go back to my room, where I cried my insides out. Tonight was a night like that, where I let my tears try to wash off the filth that was slowly covering me after each kill.

My sobs were so loud, that I didn't hear the creak the door made as it opened and then closed again. It wasn't until I felt a hand on my back, that I realized I was no longer alone. I immediately turned around, squinting my eyes in a failed attempt to recognize the face that was inches apart from mine. But I didn't need my sight to know it was _her._

"Hey." Alex said softly. "Did I wake you up?"

 _I haven't slept in weeks._ "No." I replied.

She hesitated a little before asking, "Are you okay?"

Despite my best attempts to fight it off, a single tear travelled down my cheek, leaving a wet line behind it. "Not even a little bit." I whispered.

"C-can I help?" Just like mine, her voice was full of pain.

"No." _Yes._ "Maybe…"

"Tell me what to do." It was nothing more than a broken plea. It was as if she had asked, _tell me how to make the pain go away._

 _You can't._ "I don't know." I admitted.

Alex didn't say anything. Instead, she started to get up from the bed.

"No." I felt the panic rush through me, but all I managed was a soft breath.

Alex immediately stilled, waiting for my command.

"Stay." I told her. "Hold me." The next word was almost inaudible. " _Please."_

Without saying anything, she slipped under the blanket that covered me. I was glad for the lack of words, because nothing could deliver a better message than Alex wrapping her arms around my waist, pulling me impossibly close to her. _She was warm and soft._

"Sleep, Pipes." She whispered against the top of my head before placing a tender kiss on it.

And for the first time in a long time, I was able to sleep, without being awoken by terrible nightmares.

But of course, just like most times, Alex wasn't there when I woke up in the morning.

…..

I needed to see Alex. To talk to her about last night. _About everything._

I was making my way down the hallway to Enzo's room, determined to demand for Alex's whereabouts, when I bumped into something, or rather _someone._

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying much attention to where-" I stopped mid-sentence, my eyes widening in realization. " _Larry?!"_

"P-piper?" He asked hesitantly, taking a good look at me. "Shit… Piper!" Larry said my name again, this time pulling me into a tight embrace. "I thought I would never see you again." He murmured, his hot breath hitting my neck.

"Same here." I told him, unable to wrap my mind around what I was experiencing. "W-what are you doing here?" Was the first rational question that came to my mind.

"It's kind of a long story…" He said, looking down.

"Are you… _gifted?_ " I asked, afraid of the answer.

He looked shocked. "How do you know about this? D-do you live here? Are you like … _me_?"

"Woah, slow down…" I teased, buying myself time to find proper answers to his never ending questions. "Let's start by what you have heard."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Things are not … _great_ back at the village. A lot has happened since you left."

I remained silent, urging him to continue.

"At first, everybody felt disgusted towards the evil queen who came to steal Chapman's daughter. They were very sympathetic, helped your family a lot."

I held my breath, waiting for the bad things to start happening.

"But then, one day, your brother went to the square and told everybody that your father had sold you out. That he wasn't the victim everybody thought he was." Larry paused. "The thing is, Cal had visited me the day before that. He confided in me about how much he hated his father for giving you away. I could have convinced him to stay quite. _Your family wouldn't be starving if I had._ "

"Larry, it's not your fault. I appreciate you wanting to help my family, but you have no obligation to." I said quietly, unable to look at him right in the eyes.

"What are you talking about? I was going to marry you- they would have been _my_ family too." He stated as a matter of fact.

"Well, you didn't marry me. And they aren't your responsibility." I told him, perhaps a little more coldly than I should have.

"But, now that we are both in this part of the world, things can be normal again." And there came the inevitable. "We could still marry. We could have this beautiful mansion and-"

"Larry." I said, snapping him out of his daydream. "I belong to Al- to the _Queen_." That was true in more than one ways.

That seemed to trouble him, but only for a little. "That's fine. I could buy you from her. She'll probably be glad to have the money she should have gotten from your father- no offense, by the way." _He was so wrong…_

"With what money?" I asked him as if that was the only flaw in his grand plan.

"I'm training to join the Queen's guard. It's only made of _gifted_ people and the pay is unbelievable."

Before he could start listing the things we could buy with that money, I asked, "What's your power?"

He flashed me a boyish smile before lighting his hand on fire.

"That's so cool…" I said, inspecting the flame that burned brightly at the tips of his fingers. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"Not even a single bit." He informed me proudly.

"Watch out with that, or you might burn the whole place down." A voice I knew too well, said.

The moment he saw Alex, the flame vanished and he fell down on his knees, in an overly exaggerated bow. A few heartbeats later, I followed his example. "My Queen." He said and I repeated it, giving an entire new meaning to those words.

"Rise." She sounded bored. Or at least wanted us to think so.

"It is such an honor to meet you in person." Larry started. "I would be so proud if I became your guard-"

"Then you better earn it, boy, because nothing in this life comes without a price." Alex was speaking to him, but her eyes were glued onto me. "You," she finally addressed me, "follow me." She made sure to show no emotion, but I could read past her concrete mask.

"Who is he?" She asked me when we are far enough from Larry.

"Doesn't matter." I said quickly. "I need to talk to you."

"You are talking to me right now." Alex told me and I almost rolled my eyes. "Who is he?" She asked again and I knew I had no chance of escaping her.

"He is Larry." I paused, struggling to find the best way to tell her. "He is the guy I was… um… _promised to,_ back at my village." Her jaw twitched slightly, but didn't respond in any other way. "About last night…"

" _Last night?_ ' She asked, sounding completely clueless.

"Yeah, last night. When you visited me and-"

"I didn't visit you." Her voice was harsh and unforgiving. "You were probably dreaming _again_."

"I wasn't dreaming, Alex."

"I did not visit you." She repeated.

I was either wrong, or Alex was lying. _But why would she be lying?_

"Okay." Was all I thought to say, as I watched her walk away.

 **A/N: Someone suggested a romantic conflict and I thought that bringing Larry back would make things more interesting. What do you guys think? I appreciate your feedback a lot :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**So, I swear this story isn't abandoned. I've just been going through a writer's block or whatever. Your positive reviews motivated me to get back writing. I really hope you enjoy this chapter.**

I was woken up by Annalise, who, from my perspective, had good and bad news. The good ones were that today would be my day-off from the attempts to activate my dormant power. I was almost happy enough to not mind that I had to spend my day at Enzo's side, observing the Queen's Guard candidates train.

Annalise helped me into the dress Enzo had chosen for me. It was made out of a dark green fabric that started at a silver choker around my neck and ended at my toes. It could be considered modest if it wasn't for the cut that ended around mid-thigh and for my fully exposed back. Not modest, but nothing close to what I wore to Alex's Βalls.

Enzo was already seated when I entered the training hall. _And so was Alex._ "Good morning." I said politely, sitting down at the chair to Alex's left.

"Hello, love." Enzo offered me a smile while Alex ignored me completely.

The training had already started and young men spared in pairs, using both their abilities and fists. I quickly spotted Larry, who was currently using his flame against his opponent. "This one has much potential." Enzo pointed out, his eyes fixated on the bright flames coming out of Larry's hands.

"I already have a fire-user." Alex deadpanned, her eyes cold and emotionless.

"There is always room for more if you ask me. Fire is a common gift, but such a useful one." He told her just as Larry's opponent fell on the ground, hissing in pain as fire melted his skin. Wasting no time, a girl rushed to his side and in no time, the burn marks were healed and he was all good to go. Even after experiencing magical healing myself, I still found it to be such an extraordinary thing.

We observed training for around an hour and it seemed that Larry won each spar and while Enzo looked at him with fascination, his performance only earned him deathly glares from the Queen. Especially each time I cheered for him.

"Stop." She commanded and everybody froze. "It's been proven that _the fire-user_ is better than all of you." Despite knowing his name, she chose to not call him by it, perhaps to prove a point. "But-" She smirked dangerously. "Let's see just how _good_ he is."

"It would be an honor, your Majesty." Larry bowed down and to his credit, didn't let his fear show.

"Alex, please." I whispered as she rose. " _Don't._ "

The Queen snickered at me and made her way to the middle of the room.

"A-aren't you going to change into a more fitting attire, your Grace?" He asked, eyeing her tight dress that made it almost impossible for her to move.

"It won't be a problem since you won't even be able to land a single hit on me." Before Larry could reply, Alex flashed him a predatory smile. "Ready or not…"

Larry wasn't ready for the assault that followed. I didn't know what Alex made him see but judging from the pure fear in his eyes, it was probably something worse than hell itself. It didn't take long before he was lying on the floor screaming his lungs out.

 _STOP!_

It was as if nobody heard my scream. Nobody but Alex, who turned her head to look at me, more surprised than I have ever seen her be. At once she broke Larry's hallucination, like a child that got bored with its toy and now was looking for a new one. _I would be that toy._ If it meant her leaving Larry alone, I would be her toy.

"Your mind is too weak," Alex said as if nothing had happened. _What the hell had happened?_ "You should practice some self-control, boy."

"I will, my Queen." He replied in a broken voice and remained on the floor, _shattered_.

"I'm bored." She announced to no one in particular. "Have my _pet_ delivered at my room and waste no time." All this time I spent with Alex made me oh so foolishly believe that I was something more than her belonging. But in reality, I was nothing more than her plaything. _Expendable._

"Yes, your Majesty." Two servants said in unison, each taking an arm of mine.

….

"What do you want?" I asked after the servants left me alone with her in her bedroom. I was in no mood for unnecessary pleasantries.

"Does Lorenzo know?"

"Know what?"

I expected an eye roll or at least a scoff, but she her features remained dead serious. "That your powers have started to develop."

"What?"

"When did you activate it?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, looking at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Piper," Alex said calmly. "When you _shouted_ to me to stop hurting your boy, you got into my mind, or more accurate pushed a thought there."

That's why nobody had responded but her. _I had used my powers._ I didn't feel any different as if I was the same Piper I had always been. But I wasn't. Because in order for me to be able to _sent thoughts,_ I had done unspeakable things. And if I wanted to master my gift, this was only the start. "I don't know." I whispered.

"You don't know what?"

"When I activated it." I had changed so much, yet I didn't know when. Maybe I had always been like that. Maybe my dark side stayed hidden inside of me, patiently waiting for a door to open. Now it was out to play.

"That's okay. It can be overwhelming." She took a deep breath as if remembering the moment she used her power for the first time. "I know you might feel as if you don't recognize yourself or-"

"I don't feel any different." I cut her off. The frown on her face told me that it wasn't something good. Before she could ask, I said, "It feels like a part of me that I knew I had, but could never access."

"That's very rare…" Alex murmured to herself.

"Why don't we ask Enzo? I mean, isn't he the head of this place?"

"No. God, no. Not a single word about this to Lorenzo." The panic in her voice suggested that my idea was a horrible one.

"What? Why not?" I asked, still terribly confused by pretty much everything.

"Just promise me." She took my hands in her own; I had forgotten how soft they were. "Your activating your power will stay between us."

The sincere concern in her eyes compelled me to say, "Okay. I promise." Alex was a little bit surprised by my quick answer as if she doubted the control she had over me. "But, I need answers."

"You will get them." She promised, squeezing my hands. "Do you trust me?"

I sighed. "Yes." I shouldn't. _But I did._ "How could I not?" I was hers. In more than one way.

That made her smile slightly. "Good. I want you to meet me in the training room when it gets dark. Wear comfortable clothes."

"Am I allowed to ask why?"

I could see the hope in her eyes as she told me, "Enzo keeps trying to force the power out of you. I will try to lead it."

….

I kept staring out my window, hoping that my persistent look would make the sun go down quicker. _When it gets dark,_ Alex had said. It was still pretty early; what could I do to make time pass quicker? The excitement that Alex's mysterious words had caused me didn't make the wait any easier.

Two knocks on the door pulled me out of my thoughts. "Come in." I said, not bothering to take my eyes off the window.

"Hello, dear." Enzo walked in my room, his back inhumanly straight and his head high. "I was hoping we could talk."

"We are talking." I deadpanned having my back turned to him.

"Come sit." He made it sound as an invite, but both of us knew that it really was a command.

With a soft sigh, I sat down next to him on my bed. "What is the meaning of your visit?" I cut right to the chase.

"You watched all those young men use their powers today." I nodded despite it not being a question. "Did you feel anything?"

"Awe?" I asked as innocently as possible.

Enzo narrowed his eyes, clearly not impressed by my joke. "Did you feel any flicker of your power?"

"No." I did my best too look disappointed and sad. "Maybe there is something wrong with me." I told him in a low voice, looking down as if I was too ashamed to look at him in the eyes.

"Oh, no, love. You are perfectly fine." He rested his hand on my shoulder and I pretended to appreciate his touch. "From tomorrow, we will start trying to awaken your power again. In no time, you will be like them. Like _us._ "

I smiled and nodded, a part of me wondering since when lying had become so easy for me.

…

Dressed in a plain leather tunic and matching boots I made my way to the training room. The halls were awfully quiet this time of the day; the only sound being my steps and uneven breathing. How the hell was Alex going to _lead_ the power out of me?

"Catch." She said instead of a greeting, throwing me a spear before I had even closed the doors behind me.

"Nice to see you too." I scoffed, picking up the spear from the ground.

Completely ignoring my comment, she said, "We should work on your reflexives." Alex shifted her own spear in between hands. "We don't have all the time in the world. Let's start."

"Start what?" I asked, testing my weapon, getting used to its shape and weight.

"I'm hoping that if I train your body, I will also train your brain at the same time." She explained. "I want you to get into my mind and see my move before I make it."

"That's absurd." I protested. The only thing that earned me was a blow I nearly dodged.

"Don't let me hit you too much." Alex told me with a cocky smile.

She started making her way towards me, her spear moving in dangerous maneuvers, threatening to slice me open any time. But I couldn't even try to counter the attack. Alex was not human, as she moved with such speed and grace. Alex was fury. With her raven-black hair up in tight ponytail, Alex was perfection.

The wooden part of the spear hit me at my ribs and I let out a hiss of pain. "That was terrible." She shook her head in disappointment. "Focus, Piper."

After an hour or so of practice, I could counter or dodge most of her hits but was far from being able to attack her. Ever muscle in my body ached as if it was on fire. "Can we take a break?" I asked, short of breath.

"Let's make a promise." Alex wiped the beads of sweat off her forehead. "I will let you go rest if you manage to get into my brain."

"But, I can't." I whined. We had tried several times and failed.

"Yes, you can." She handed me the spear again. "I believe in you, Pipes."

I took the weapon with a sigh and got into a defensive position. "Can't you just be happy that I learned so much in combat today?"

"I am." She attacked and I dodged. "I just want to see if my theory is right." Another attack that I countered. "It could change everything."

And just like that, time slowed down. I was so overwhelmed by it, that I had to force my eyes shut. _I was in Alex's mind._ I saw her attack me and I flinched despite knowing it wasn't real; at least not yet.

Before I could register what had happened I was back to reality and Alex was about to perform the exact attack I had witnessed seconds ago. _It left her face vulnerable._ She was so sure I wouldn't dodge it, that she didn't bother guarding it.

My hands moved on their own, swinging the spear and aiming for her beautiful face. My hit caught her completely off guard, so she had no time to try and block it. It sliced her bottom lip and a part of her jaw open.

"I'm so sorry." I exclaimed, throwing the spear on the ground and making my way to her.

"Are you kidding?" Alex laughed joyously. "You got in my brain, didn't you?"

I nodded hesitantly. "I hurt you." I mumbled.

"This?" She touched her lip. "It's nothing."

Despite her reassuring words, I remained unconvinced. Without thinking much about it, I run my thumb at the length of the slice.

"We may have found a loophole." Alex said and her lips moved against my thumb. "You may not need Enzo anymore. You may not have to commit all these horrible acts. Pipes, we-"

She was talking about very important things, and I should have really been paying attention, but all I could focus on was her lips and how much I wanted her. I used my hands and pulled her face closer to mine, our lips colliding, silencing her. The kiss was hungry, like most times, but there was also a certain kind of melancholy. Like we knew that what we had between us was way tοo complicated for it to work. _But I didn't care._ Not when her lips tasted so damn good.

"I probably shouldn't have done that." I admitted when we broke apart and common sense returned back to me.

"In the contrary, I'm positive that it was the smartest thing you have done in a while." Alex wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me for another kiss that took my breath away. I could do this forever. _I wanted to do this forever._ "We need to keep _this_ private." That was all I needed to come crashing down from cloud nine. "Enzo must remain in the dark."

"We will." I reassured her, crashing our lips together one last time for tonight. There was another way, but we had to go behind Enzo's back. _We would make this work,_ I told myself. _We had to._

 **Feedback is highly appreciated.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I've been working on the draft of this chapter for way too long and it's finally time to share it with you. I really hope there are still people reading this story after being so long without any new updates. A lot happens in this chapter, so if you feel confused, rest assured that all your questions will be answered in future chapters. Hope you enjoy :)**

 **P.S Have you watched the leaked episodes of season 5? if yes, what are your thoughts on them?**

"It's a great idea, darling." Enzo reassured me with a gentle squeeze on my exposed shoulder.

"Isn't there anything else left to try?" I asked trapping my bottom lip between my teeth.

"We have tried everything, yet your powers still remain dormant." A sigh of annoyance. "I swear in all my years of doing this, you are the first one that is having such a difficulty with getting in terms with your inner darkness."

"It's not like I'm not trying." I crossed my arms and knitted my brows together. "I've done everything you've asked me to."

"I know…" He flashed me a patient smile. "And now you are going to try one last thing."

"What happens if I fail again?" The loud creaking of the old door getting opened by two servants almost drowned the sound of my voice.

He didn't look at me while saying, "We'll see."

I followed him into the hall, which as always was dark and cold. You could feel the pain and despair that had been inflicted in this room. Feel the traces of darkness that the ones before you had left. It was quite perfect for its purpose.

In the middle of it, shirtless and with his two hands tied on a wooden post was Larry. The moment he saw me his eyes lit up and a smile flickered on his lips. "Hey, Pipes."

The fact that he was happy to see me despite knowing what I was there for, felt more sickening than the thought of hurting him in the very near future. "Hey." I managed weakly.

"Larry here is a very brave and loyal boy." Enzo said, handing me a sharpened, shiny blade. Despite having held it countless times, it still managed to feel foreign and heavy in my hands. "He volunteered to let you hurt him in order to help you get your powers."

The color drained from my face and the slices of bread I had for breakfast threatened to come out as I approached him. "And why do you think that hurting _Larry_ is going to be different?"

"Because unlike your previous _victims,"_ It was such an ugly word; perhaps because it was the truth. ", you actually know him. Care about him."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, half-hearted.

"Whatever you feel like. I decided to let you improvise on this." He announced, his lips twisted in a cruel smile, as he sat down on his self-made throne. _Evil son of a bitch._ There were no words to describe the hatred I felt for him. Maybe I should hurt him, see if that brings out the darkness I have hidden in me.

With a surprisingly steady hand, I carved out a diagonal, straight line on Larry's chest. He flinched and a low hiss escaped his lips. I stared at the deep red liquid that was flowing down his toned abdomen. Even though I'd never seen him shirtless back when we lived in the village together, I'm sure he didn't use to be that well-built.

I waited. _Nothing._ I didn't feel any different. I didn't feel powerful. I met Enzo's expectant stare and simply shrugged.

"Hurt him more." He growled, clearly unsatisfied with the results of his little experiment. _Good._

I created a twin line, making this one deeper than the previous, marking Larry's chest with an X. I took a few steps back to look at him. At my _victim._ Blood oozed out of his fresh wounds. In the real world, cuts like that would leave a scar. But in our case, they would be gone in seconds under the touch of a gifted healer.

 _Do you trust me?_

I had only been able to pass telepathic messages a few times during practice with Alex and found it quite a difficult thing to do. But, when Larry nodded slightly, his brows knitting together in shock, every self-doubt I had faded away. Gripping at my dagger hard, I stabbed Larry in the abdomen. A growl slipped out through gritted teeth as I twisted it before removing it with a swift move.

There was blood. Too much blood. Flowing out of Larry like a crimson river. Dripping off the dagger I was holding. Covering my hands.

It was the only way, I told myself while watching Larry's face, twitching in pain. The only way to convince Enzo that I wasn't what he expected. That there was nothing he could do to get me to access my powers. I had gutted someone I cared for and wasn't affected by it. _At least, that's what I made him think._

It felt like centuries passed before Enzo spoke. "So…?" He inquired, raising from his throne.

"I don't feel different." I said, doing my best to look bored and indifferent while everything inside me willed me to scream. "Since your experiment has clearly failed, I'm I excused?"

"Not yet, darling." He clicked his fingers together and the two servants that were standing in the shadows, waiting, rushed to unshackle Larry. "Take him to a healer."

I watched as they had to drag his almost lifeless body out of the room, leaving a trail of blood behind them. "Get cleaned and meet me in my office." He commanded with a harsh voice he had never used on me before.

….

"You said that what I did was our last chance."

"Yes. Yes, I did."

"Then why am I here?"

With a wicked smile, he replied, "Because I lied." I saw him open a drawer and take out a small vial containing a strange looking liquid. " _This_ is our last chance."

"What is it?" I asked, leaning forward to get a better view of what he was holding.

"A serum of some kind." He said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "Don't worry. _It tastes good_." He purred and I instinctively pushed my back against the chair I was sitting on as if I could get away from Enzo.

"Y-you want me to drink this?" My voice cracked as I eyed the mysterious serum.

He opened the lid for me and I gulped. "Don't be afraid. It will only do you good." Enzo said soothingly while approaching me. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course." I lied and took the vial from his hand. "After all, I promised I would do anything to activate my power."

My answer seemed to satisfy him as his smile was the last thing I saw before emptying the liquid in my mouth.

I was on fire. I couldn't breathe, couldn't scream. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I burned in the pit of unending pleasure. It was the best feeling in the whole universe, I decided when the effects started fading away, allowing me to start thinking again.

I opened my mouth, but Enzo was faster. "Go rest, darling. Activating your powers like that can be… overwhelming." With shaking limbs, I got up and made my way to the door. I was almost gone when he added, "If you start feeling _different,_ come to me. Immediately." An order that I knew I was going to disobey before he even said it.

…..

After what felt like centuries of lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, I heard the door creak. Enzo had instructed me to rest, but I couldn't even keep my eyes closed for more than a few seconds. I felt alive. I could hear my steady heartbeat, I could feel the flow of my bloodstream.

I thought my power had been awakened when I managed to sent a telepathic message to Alex. I had felt powerful when I got inside her mind. But compared to what I was feeling now, those instances were only a taste of what I was capable of doing.

Everything I felt was heightened and I was experiencing an out of this world combination of emotions. It started with the basic ones: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. I studied them on myself, so I could understand them better on others. Anger was red, pain was green, fear was purple, happiness was yellow, sadness was blue and surprise was a mix of them all. It didn't take long for me to understand that the colors had little meaning, that they were just the first layer and weren't really what set the emotions apart. What I started focusing on, what I started trying to understand was their distinct smell.

But eventually, I grew tired of messing around in my head. I needed to experiment on someone else's emotions. I needed to feel how they felt. I was hungry for it like a human is hungry for food. The logical part of my brain told me to go to Enzo since he would know how to help me control it. I quickly crossed out that idea. For the first time in my life, I was going to be reckless. I was going to have fun. And just when I needed her the most, the face that haunted my dreams and nightmares, decided to pay me a visit.

"Hey, Pipes." She said quietly, walking in and closing the door behind her. "Are you okay?" She asked, sitting on the edge of my bed and reaching for my hand full of concern.

I was about to reassure her that I had never been better, but I choked on the words when my eyes met hers and hunger consumed me. From the first moment I laid eyes on her, I thought Alex was beautiful. But now, as I looked at her with my newly acquired heightened sense of emotions, I realized that beautiful wasn't enough to describe her. Alex was… everything anyone could ask for. She was desire in human form and she was mine. And I wanted her. Gods, I wanted her.

"Kiss me." I breathed out and before she could respond, I pulled her on top of me and crashed our lips together. The kiss was hungry, desperate. _More, more, more._

She was surprised but didn't object. We kissed more passionately and her hands started exploring my body, leaving a trail of fire behind them. I only wore a flimsy nightgown that stopped mid-thigh, yet I felt like too much skin was covered.

"Pipes…" Alex said too slowly as I tried to wiggle out of it. "I don't think we-" The smell that came out of her was a strange mix of lust and something I could yet define.

I silenced her with a kiss. "It's fine, Al. I want it. I want _you_." I leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "So, so badly."

"Piper, baby…" She sighed, rolling off me. "Trust me when I say that there is nothing I could want more than this, but not now."

"Why?" I whined, giving up on my attempts to get rid of my nightgown. Hungry. I was so, so hungry. And her keeping her emotions under control did nothing to help my situation.

"I don't know what happened to you, but you are not acting like yourself." Alex explained, running a hand through my hair affectionately.

Annoyed, I pulled away from her touch. "Is it out of character for me to want you?" I was able to read what she was feeling, yet I couldn't read _her._ I couldn't explain her behavior.

"We are not supposed to rush this." She said soothingly as if talking to a child. "Your first time is supposed to be special and-"

"I am so officially tired of this." My heart was beating so impossibly fast, I felt dizzy. "You always being the sex goddess and me being the helpless child."

"Pipes-" Alex started saying and reached for me, but I cut her off, yelling _Leave me alone!_ in her mind, just to show off. "You've been getting better" She observed. "Have you been training?"

"Get out of my room, Alex." I could finally feel the anger radiating off her and it was so powerful it shook me to the core. I wanted that. I didn't care if she screamed at me or if she kissed me, I just wanted to feel her raw emotions.

"I don't know what happened to you, but we are going to have a serious talk tomorrow." And with this threat of hers left hanging in the damp air, she turned her back to me and stormed off the room.

I rolled my eyes and fell backward on my bed. Despite not regretting a thing I said or done, a faint voice in my head warned me that I wasn't acting like myself. I tried to make it shut up, but not unlike the buzzing in my veins, the craving, I couldn't.

I hadn't fully realized where my feet were taking me until I found myself knocking on Larry's door. Alex wasn't willing to give me what I wanted and he was the closest second I could get.

"Piper..?" He asked in a sleepy voice, running a hand through his disheveled hair. I couldn't help but notice how good he looked, standing shirtless a few inches away from me, with a puzzled yet adorable look on his face. "Is everything okay?"

"No." I replied honestly and stepped in, moving past him. "But I was hoping you could make things better." I said in a sultry voice that wasn't mine. The buzzing was getting louder than I could handle. My newfound power was demanding to be let out to play.

"W-what?" His breath hitched when I placed my cold hand on his chest. His face and stature gave the impression that he was confused, uncomfortable even. But I knew better. I could smell the lust radiating from him. And unlike Alex, Larry had clear and pure emotions, inviting me to taste them. Without a warning, I assaulted his lips with a hungry kiss. They weren't as soft as Alex's and he was certainly not as skilled as the Queen was, but it would do for now.

I felt every second thought, every doubt he had faded away as he placed his calloused hands on my thighs and picked me up. He wasted no time in carefully letting me down on his bed and climbing on top of me. He started by worshipping my neck and the emotions he was feeling were oh so powerful. It was as if I was feeding on them. His lust and passion sated mine, in a way I couldn't explain.

I was consumed by his kisses, which were getting lower and lower, but not enough to not sense pure anger getting closer to us by the second. The door was opened so violently that it was a miracle it didn't shatter in pieces.

At the sight of her, loose raven-black hair and emerald eyes full of rage, he immediately rolled off me, putting a healthy distance between us. "My q-queen." He stammered, bowing his head.

But Alex didn't hear him. It was as if he wasn't in the room with us. "Come here." There was violence in her voice but I could feel something else too. Under the dominating rage, there were embers of pain.

"Alex-"

"I said _come here._ " I didn't obey because of her icy tone or because I was scared of what she would do to me or Larry. I obeyed because the pain I felt growing in her was threatening to shatter me.

She grabbed my arm and yanked me, hard enough that it was impossible to get away from her, but soft enough that it didn't really hurt. I let her guide me down the hallway in silence while trying to send calming feelings to her.

"Stop that." She barked out, after a few feet.

"Stop what?" I asked, genuinely clueless.

"Trying to soothe me with your little powers."

I wanted to lash out at her, show her that my powers weren't as little as she believed, but I just said, "Okay." I was tired and my head hurt so unbelievably bad. All those emotions in such a short notice… It was as if I had eaten too much and now felt bloated.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She finally shouted at me. "Did you go to Larry to make me jealous? Were you willing to give away your first time like that to prove a point?"

"I went to Larry because you denied me." I meant to shout back at her, but instead, my words came out in a tired, croaky voice. "Which reminds me, how the hell didn't you know where I was?"

"I had a guard monitor your moves." She admitted and sighed. "Your behavior scared me, Pipes. It _continues_ to scare me."

"There is nothing to be afraid of." The hallway started to spin and Alex's figure became blurry.

Alex's lips were moving, but no sound came out of them. "What?" I asked before my vision bent and started falling.

 **A/N: So..? Did you like it? Was it worth waiting for? Any ideas on what should happen next? Feedback is highly appreciated and motivates me to write more.**


End file.
